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Address orders to TOLEDO BOOK COMPANY 


WARiaiNG ANO VENTILATING 
ENGINEERS. 


Isaac D. Smead & C( 

'TOl^BDO, O. 


Smead & Northcot 

KT. Y. 


Smead, Wills & Co 

PHIBAOBBPHIA, PA. 


Smead, Dowd & Co, 

TTORONXO, CA?iADA. 


Manufacturers of 

WARRING AND VENTILATING 
APPARATUS. 


A Man of Samples. 


Something About the Men he met 


“ON THE ROAD. 


By WM. H. MAHER, 

AUTHOR OF 

“ON THE ROAD TO RICHES.” 

JS' 


1886 . 


1887: 

PUBLISHED BY 

THE TOLEDO BOOK COMPANY, 
75 Summit St., 

TOLEDO, - OHIO. 





NOTE. 


The articles that go to make up the following pages 
were written for the Inter-Ocean^ of Chicago, in which 
journal they appeared, during the summer of 1886. Yery 
little was made of the man who tells the story, as he was 
used simply as a medium to draw out criticisms and sugges- 
tions about methods of doing business, and business men and 
houses. 'Probably the wise reader will see that the narrator’s 
efforts to get orders, and the various schemes by which he 
managed to get them, and became a successful salesman (in 
the opinion of his employers), are the ones most open to 
criticism in the whole book; and they are so intended by 
the author. 


A KE W 


OF THE 


Men and Things 


American Grocer, 

- 43 

Arbuckle’s Coffee, 

- 145 

Auger Bits, . - . - 

1.37 

Bartlett, Geo. H., 

94 

Base Balls, .... 

106 

Bevins, Al., - - - - 

- 83-95 

Bingham (Cleveland) 

61 

Booth, Wm., - . - . 

91 

Bradley, Tom W,, - 

36 

Bradley & Smith, - - . 

107 

Butler Bros., 

- 117 

“Champion” Gun, 

37-56 

Comeaway, F. B., - - - 

73 

Church, Wm., . . - . 

47 

Deming (Cleveland), 

83, 120 

Dewey, Fitch, 

39 

Disston, Sam., . . . . 

- 133 

Fletcher, Charley, ... 

120 

Flobert Rifle, .... 

• 37, 87 

F. & W. Gun, ... 

30 

Gildersleeve, Jos., 

95 

Goodnow, Ed., - - • 

49 

Hart, A. V., .... 

107 

Haines, Sam., . . . . 

- 87 

Haflf & Waldbridge, 

103 

Healey, Charley, ... 

- 94, 103 

Hilger & Son, .... 

- 103 

Hibbard & Spencer, 

123 

Hopsby, Cockley & Co., 

92 

Horne, Joe (Pittsburg), 

121 

“ J. I. C.” Curry Combs, 

83 

Kendrick, W. H. - 

84 

Landers, Charles, 

140 

Lawson & Goodrow, 

139 

Lafoucheaux Gun, 

35 

Little, Henry, .... 

95 

Luce, C. L., .... 

- 49, 121 

Mix, Geo. 1. & Co., - 

84 


Mentioned Here. 


Merwin, Hulbert & Co., 

86 

Merwin, Jim, 

- - 86 

Miller Bros. Cutlery, 

- 58, 107 

Morgan, Chris., 

62, 94 

Milligan, Jno. C., 

58 

Nimick & Brittan, 

82 

Parker Gun, ... 

- 20, 70 

Parmelee, Sam., 

- 84, 94 

Pieper’s “ Diana,” 

98 

Pillsbury Flour, - 

95 

Quackenbush Rifle, 

- 35, 38 

Reacham Arms Co., 

20, 56, 70 

Remington Gun, 

25 

RusseU & Erwin, 

- 73, 76 

Rogers Bros. 1847, 

59 

Russell Cutlery Co., 

91 

Rockwell, W. F., 

- 107 

Rubel (Chicago), 

140 

Sargent & Co., 

- 76, 87 

Sheep Shears, . . . 

76 

Smith & Wesson, 

71 

Simmons H’ware Co., 

56, 65, 86 

Shot, . - - - 

72 

Screws, .... 

72 

Sikkor, Birden & Co., 

46 

Smythe, Ed. F.. 

42 

Smythe, Wm. G., 

- - 58 

Shiverhim & Gaily, 

- 33, 70 

“ Solomon Smart,” 

44 

Taylor, Rogers & Co., 

39 

Tryon (Phil’a), 

55 

Tibbals (Meriden), 

59 

U. M. C. Cartridges, 

16, 66 

U. S. Cartridges, 

18 

Waterbury Watch, 

93 

Wilcox, H. C., - - - 

60 

Weibusch, F., - 

103, 131, 140 

Winchester Cartridges, 

- 64 

Wilson Butcher Knife, - 

63 


CHAPTER 1. 


When do you start, Tom ? ” 

“At midnight.” 

“Well, good-by; sock it to ’em; send us in some fat 
orders.” 

“Pll do it, or die; good-by.” 

And then I sat down to think it all over. Our traveling 
man was off on a wedding tour, and I had agreed to take 
his place for this one trip. As the hour drew near for me 
to start, my courage proportionately sank, until I now heart- 
ily wished that I had never consented to go. What if I 
failed ? I had been stock clerk and house salesman for three 
years ; I had been successful ; my position was a good one, 
and one that would grow better ; there was nothing to be 
made by success on the road, as I had no intention of con- 
tinuing there, and failure might be the means of making 
my place in the house less secure. What an infernal fool I 
was ! If there had been any way under heaven for me to 
get out of it 1 would have hailed the opening with delight. 
I would have blessed any accident that would have been the 
means of sending me to bed for a week or two, and I would 
have taken the small-pox thankfully. But there was no re- 
lease. Like an ass, as I was, I had agreed to take Mallon’s 
trip, and I must go ahead if it made or unmade me. 

I ate my supper with a heavy heart, bade my landlady 
and her daughters a solemn good-by, then went to the theater 
to forget my sorrows. At midnight I was checking my 
sample-trunk for Albany, and persuading the baggagemaster 
that 218 pounds were exactly 120. I succeeded ; but it took 
three ten-cent cigars to do it. 

2 


10 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


The reason I call the town Albany is because that is not 
its name, and I may as well say here that as I write about 
actual incidents I don’t propose to lay mvself liable ” by 
giving the name of any town or any dealer. If I call him 
Smith it will naturally follow that he was not Smith. 

If Albany had been a hundred or more miles away I 
would have taken a berth in the sleeper, but we were due 
there at 2 o’clock, so I dozed and nodded and swore to my- 
self during the two hours’ ride. I wanted to get there, but 
I dreaded it, too. Stories I had heard traveling men tell 
about poor beds, mean men, dirty food, and unprincipled 
competitors all came back to me in a distorted fashion, and 
if I didn’t have a nightmare I must have experienced a 
slight touch of delirium tremens. 

“How much of a town is Albany?” I asked the con- 
ductor. 

“Ho town at all ; just a crossing.” 

“ Ho hotel there ? ” 

“ Oh, yes ; they call it a hotel.” 

This was exactly what I expected. Probably no one 
would be up and I could walk around the town for the next i 
four hours. What an idiot I was ! By thunder, I would 
break my leg or my arm the first thing I did and get out of 
this foolish — 

“ Albany ! ” 

What, so soon ! Those were the two shortest hours I had 
ever known. ; 

Ho lights anywhere ; no one about ; nothing but— 

“ Hotel, sir ? ” 

Good; here was a ray of comfort. “Hotel? Well, I 
should say so. Where is your light ? ” 

“ Here it is.” And a lantern came around a corner as the 
train dashed off on its way. 

“ Don’t mind .your trunk ; that will be taken care of and 
I’ll get it in the morning. Here, Dan, lead the way.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


11 


We walked a square or two and went into a neat appear- 
ing office. Bed ? Yes, I might as well get a few hours’ 
sleep. And I was given a very comfortable room. I lay in 
bed trying to recall our customer’s name, and preparing my 
speech of introduction when — . Some one was rapping at 
the door. What’s up ? Breakfast ! What, breakfast al- 
ready ? Why, I hadn’t thought I was asleep at all. 

As I looked over the register, after breakfast, dreading to 
start out, I asked the clerk . 

“ Been any gun men here lately ? ” 

“ None since last week. Layton was here from Pittsburg 
on the 22d.” 

‘‘ Did he sell anything ? ” 

“ I think he did sell Cutter a small bill.” 

“ How many stores are there here ? ” 

“ Three that sell guns. Are you in the gun business ? ” 
“Yes. I am from Pittsburg.” 

I hung back as long as I dared ; found out all about the 
trains ; picked up facts and fancies about the merchants ; 
got my cards and price-book handy ; stuck four revolvers 
(samples) in my pockets ; pulled my hat down solidly on my 
head, and started out. And every step I took I, figuratively, 
kicked myself for being there, and for being a blasted fool 
generally. 

“JOHN 0. JORDAN, GUNS AND REVOLVERS.” 

This was the legend that attracted my attention, and to- 
ward it I took m}^ way. I stopped at the window long 
enough to take a hasty inventory of its contents, and from 
it I sized up my man. There were some goods there that 
came from our store ; this cheered me, I took courage, walked 
in, and handed Mr. Jordan my card. 

“We have done some business with you,” I said, in my 
blandest tones, “and Mr. Mallon always spoke pleasantly of 


12 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


you [this was a random shot] ; he has taken a wife unto 
himself, and I am making his trip.” 

“ Why the devil don’t you send me the goods I ordered, 
last time from him? Where are those British bull-dogs? 
Did he sell them too low, or is my credit poor ? ” 

Phew ! There it was. I must first close up an old sore 
before I could do anything else. I might have known it 
would be just so, but I was such a pig-headed fool I hadn’t 
thought of this. 

“Tell me all about it, Mr. Jordan;” and he told it, with 
fire in his eye. But he felt better for having told it. I 
knew nothing of it till now, but I took out my book and 
said : 

“Mr. Jordan, the goods will come now. You may depend 
upon it. How many bull-dogs do you want ? ” 

“ I don’t want any. I got some of Layton. The house 
can’t fool me again.” 

I sat down on the counter and gave him fourteen reasons 
for his order not having been filled (I hope some of them 
were true), and then I pulled out a “Pet” revolver and 
asked him if seventy-five cents was not mighty low for that. 

He admitted that it was, but he had bought of Layton 
five cents lower. Then I explained wherein Layton’s was 
ten cents poorer than mine (I hadn’t seen his), and why he 
ought to give mine the preference. What had he paid for 
32-caliber ? 

“ One twenty-five.” 

I drew out mine at $1.20, and I convinced him that mine 
was a better pistol than his, although he said he had already 
more than he ought to have and he would not buy more. 
Then I placed an automatic ejector under his eyes, threw 
out the shells, cocked it and snapped it, and explained how, 
though it cost us $6.70, 1 was going to sell him some at $6. 

“Ho, you ain’t,” said he, “ Pve got two on hand and can’t 
give them away.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


13 


By this time it struck me I was making but little 
headway and was wasting my breath in praising goods he 
already had, so I concluded the best plan to go on was to 
see what he had, and govern myself accordingly. He seemed 
to have everything, confound him ! There was nothing he 
had not bought in the thirty days, and I began to think I 
could use my time better somewhere else, when a man came 
in to buy a gun, and I stepped aside to watch the subsequent 
proceedings. 

The story told by that retailer about those guns would 
have made a dog howl, if it were not for the fact that he 
believed every word of it. The farmer wanted a good muz- 
zle loader, but wanted it choke-bored ! The retailer brought 
down seven different guns, all of them choke-bored ! and ex- 
patiated upon their cheapness .and good qualities. Some 
reference was made to me, as being a gun man, and 1 was 
drawn into the conversation. I explained the merits of guns 
to that farmer in a way that pleased him mightily. I could 
see that, but he finally said he didn’t intend to buy a gun 
that day, but would some time in the fall, and he passed 
calmly out. 

I looked at Mr. Jordan, and he looked at me. “Are you 
mad ” I asked. 

“ No ; I’m used to it.” 

“ Then try a cigar.” ' 

As we smoked and discussed mean customers, I put in 
some good licks for my house, and by and by heard Jordan 
say: 

“ I lied to you about those bull-dogs ; I didn’t buy any of 
Layton ; you may send me six.” 


u 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTEE II. 


When Mr. Jordan gave me the order for six “bull-dog” 
revolvers, I felt that I had made a conquest ; I went care- 
fully through my list, adding something here and there, un- 
til I had made a very pretty bill with him. So, although 
he met me as if he wanted to punch me in the head, 
we parted on the best of terms. Where should I go next ? 
A sign farther down the street said “ Hardware,” so I started 
down that way. 

A man who carries a mixed slock is easier to sell goods to 
than is the man who makes a specialty of one line. In the 
house we always had a closer price for the dealer who made 
guns a specialty than for the hardware man who kept a few 
guns and revolvers as a small branch of his stock. 

“John Topoff” was the name over the door, so I went 
in, carefully noticing the stock, the way it was arranged, 
and the amount, in order to get some idea of the kind of 
man the owner was. 

“Is Mr. Topoff in?” I asked a young man who was 
blacking stoves and who I was sure was not the man I wanted. 

“Haw,” he said, as he brushed away. 

“ Will he be in soon? ” 

“ Haw, he’s dead. There’s Mr. Tucker, he’s the boss.” 

The young man spoke as if answering the questions about 
Mr. Topoff had become a burden to him, and if that honest 
hardware man had been dead long I didn’t blame the boy 
for getting tired of him. 

Mr. Tucker had been studiously keeping his back toward 
me, as if I was to expect no encouragement from him, but 
he turned when I spoke his name and I introduced myself. 




A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


15 


“ Don’t need anything in your line,” said he, as if he 
wished I would accept that as a final verdict and get out. 

What would you have done, respected reader, if you had 
been in my place ? I would gladly have said “good-day,” 
and gone at once if it were not for the fact that my present 
business was to get orders, and the only way to secure them 
was to work for them. So I ignored Mr. Tucker’s ill-timed 
remark and proceeded to be sociable. 

I explained as pleasantly as I could why it was our house 
was sending out a new man. I got him interested enough to 
ask a question or two, which was a point gained, and finally 
I came round to his stock, but I carefully ignored guns and 
talked of nails ; something I knew nothing about. 

Don’t you know you can pay no one a higher compliment 
than to place him in the position of a teacher to you ? I 
picked that idea up somewhere, and I put it in practice by 
asking Mr. Tucker for information as to hardware and hard- 
ware houses. He was soon talking warmly and as if he was 
enjoying himself, and I was wondering when would be a 
good time to get guns started, when a little boy came to the 
door and shouted : “ Pa ! ma wants you to come home a 

minute, just as soon as you can ! ” 

He started off without a word, and I proceeded to get 
y^cquainted with the young man who said “ Haw ! ” 

Of all creatures on the face of the earth the average clerk 
is the easiest to pump. The fact that a man is from a whole- 
sale house seems to be sufficient guarantee that he may 
safely be told anything regarding prices, and where goods 
came from. The moment Tucker went out the door Bob 
stopped his work, and for fifteen minutes he kept his tongue 
wagging about the cost of goods and all he knew about them. 
He was so incautious that I soon learned his cost mark, and 
then did not need to ask cost afterward. 

How did I do it ? Bless you ! Every traveling man does 
it in spite of himself. For instance, I pick up a box and no- 


16 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


tice it is marked L. X. K., and I ask the clerk, while I look 
at the revolver, What did this cost ? 

He turns the box up to see the mark, and answers, $2.25. 

This may be the truth, or may not. If it is, “H’ is 2 and 
“ K ” is 5, and “ X” means “ repeat.” So by and by I find 
a box marked B. L. K., and I ask the cost of that. He an- 
swers, $1.25. I am now sure that B is 1, L is 2 and K is 5, 
and I can easily guess that A and C are 3 and 4. By find- 
ing boxes with other letters on, and learning from the boy 
what the mark is, I soon have ‘‘ Black horse ” as the cost 
mark in that store. I make a note of this in my trip book 
so that I can use it when I am here again, or when our other 
man is here. 

My way now is tolerably smooth. If he really needs 
goods the merchant will be willing to order at prices paid 
before ; if he thinks he does not need anything I may tempt 
him by quoting prices a little under what he paid. In either 
case I am in good shape to make a fight for an order ; 
thanks to the clerk’s loose tongue and lack of sense. 

A customer comes in and wants a file. I listen to the con- 
versation, trying to get hold of any hint that may be useful 
to me by and by. Another man wants a box of cartridges. 
My ears are wide open now. 

“ Have you the “ U. S. ? ” 

“ U. S. — U. S. What do you mean ? ” asks the clerk. 

“ I want the kind with U. S. on the end.” 

“ What good is that ? ” 

“ Good to go. I like that kind. Have you got them ? ” 

“ I don’t know; yes ; no, they ain’t either! They’re U. M. C.” 

“Don’t want ’em !” 

How I was temporarily selling the U. S. cartridge, so I 
made a note of what the man said, to be used on Tucker, but 
I took up the conversation and convinced the customer that 
the IJ. M. C. make of cartridges was good ; he finally bought 
a box and went off apparently satisfied. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


17 


J ust then Tucker came in. 

I made some laughing allusion to pig-headed customers, 
and the clerk at once opened up on the “ fool ” who thought 
one cartridge was better than another. When the young 
man was back at his stove I started out to sell Tucker a bill. 
He was backward about buying ; didn’t know our house ; 
always bought of Simmons ; did not like to have so many bills; 
always got favors from Simmons, and despised our city on 
general principles. 

I agreed with him on every point, but (Oh ! these “buts”) 
I also wanted an order. I took out my bull-dog revolver that 
was selling at $2.85 ; he had none like it in stock ; it was the 
leading pistol, retailing readily at $4 to $6, according to local- 
ity. “I want to send you a few of these at a special net 
price,” said I; “ the regular price is $3; I will sell you at $2.85.” 
I said this as if I was making him a present of a gold watch. 

“ I wouldn’t have the d — n things as a gift,” said he. 


18 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTER III. 

When a man has been on the road a year or two he is 
never disappointed because a dealer refuses to buy some- 
thing he was sure he was going to sell him. He is prepared 
for ‘‘Ho” on all occasions rather than for “ Yes.” But a 
man is terribly disappointed on his first trip every time he 
starts out to sell a particular article and does not meet with 
success. I was sure Tucker would give me an order for 
some bull-dog revolvers, but in answer to my low price he 
had said he wouldn’t take them as a gift ! 

I would have been very glad to go straight home and let 
Tucker get along without bull-dogs, but my silly head had 
brought me into this business and I must keep on. Proba- 
bly he saw I was a good deal disappointed, for he added, in 
a rather kindly tone, “ Every pistol of that kind I have 
ever sold came back on my hands for repairs, and 1 swore 
I’d never buy another.” 

“ You are making a mistake,” said I. “ When the double 
action first came out they did get out of order easily, and 
manufacturers were obliged to take back broken ones and 
replace them at great expense to themselves. In self-defense 
they were obliged to make them better, and they are just 
as reliable as any other to-day.” 

“ Well, I don’t want any.” 

‘'All right, we will pass it. But I wondered what one 
of your competitors meant when he said he had the pistol 
trade ; now I understand.” 

“ Does he sell these ? ” 

“ Yes, he had some from us not long ago, and gave me an 
order for more to-day.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


19 


‘‘ What’s the best you can do on them ? ” 

How many times a day does every traveling man see men 
act as Tucker did ? Here was a line of goods he was cock- 
sure he did not want, but the moment he heard that his 
competitor had a trade on them he began to feel that he 
must have some. Seven-eighths of the goods sold are sold 
in this way. Yery few men do business on their own 
judgment. Their competitors make their prices, select their 
styles, and force them to carry certain stock. The drum- 
mer’s best card is always : This is selling like fire ; Smith 
took a gross, Brown half a gross, Jones three dozen, and 
you will miss it if you do not try a few. Such dealers al- 
ways have the larger part of their capital locked up in goods 
they bought because others had bought the same goods. 

I repeated my price to Tucker, and he told me to send 
him a few. 

“ By the way,” said he, what are your terms ? ” 

“ Sixty days.” 

“ Does your house draw the day a bill falls due ? ” 

“ ]^o ; the house is slow about drawing upon customers, 
and they always give ten days’ notice before making draft.” 

Well, I don’t like to be drawn on. The house that 
draws on me can’t sell me again. I can’t draw on my trade, 
and I’m devilish glad to get my money in six months, but 
you fellows in the city expect a man to come to the exact 
minute. I don’t want any drawing on me.” 

It wa^ an excellent place to have delivered a lecture on 
the beauties of prompt payments. I could have told Brother 
Tucker that if he did not see his way clear to pay his bill 
when due he should not buy it, and if his customers did not 
pay promptly he should dun them harder or keep his goods. 
But the traveling man is not sent out to inculcate business 
morals, and he is too anxious to sell a bill to run any risks by 
disagreeing with a buyer. I did what all others would have 
done in my place. I assured Mr. Tucker I would be as 


20 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


easy with him regarding payments as any house in the 
world would dare be, and that point safely out of the way, 
1 sold him several items quite smoothly. We came to guns. 

“ What is Parker’s worth ? ” 

“ Twenty-five per cent, off factory list.” 

“ What ! Why, here’s a quotation from Cincinnati of 25 
and 10 ! ” 

“ Let me see it, please. I have not heard of any such 
figures.” 

‘‘ Bob, where is that list of Keachum’s ? ” 

“ I don’t know.” 

“ D — n it, you had it.” 

“ Then it must be in the drawer.” 

Tucker emptied the drawer, looked through a pile of 
papers, but could not find the circular he was looking for. 
He was annoyed by it, and I was sorry. 

Well, let it go,” said he, ‘‘ but that was the price.” 

“ There must be a mistake somewhere,” said 1, “ for the 
goods cost that at the factory in largest lots.” 

“ There was no mistake,” he said sharply ; ‘‘ I know 
what I am talking about. The discount offered was 25 and 
10 .” 

I hastened to assure him that I had not meant that he 
was mistaken, but that Keachum must have made a mistake. 

“That’s no concern of mine,” said he, “and I rather 
think that Eeachum is a man who knows his business as 
well as any of you. If you are higher than he is on guns 
you probably are on other goods. I guess you had better 
cancel that order. ” • 

Here was a pretty how-do-you-do ! How was I to get 
out of this box ? I confess I was in great doubts as to what 
to do or say. I dared not sell Parker’s guns at any such 
price, yet the man would cancel the order and probably 
always have a grudge against the house unless I sold him 
now. I could not believe that Keachum had made this 


A MAN Olt' SAMPLES. 

price, and yet there was no telling what that house might 
or might not do. 

“ How many Parker guns do you want ? ” I asked. 

“ I don’t want any. I only asked because it is a leading 
thing, and if a house is not low on that I conclude it is high 
on other goods.” 

“ I was going to say,” I said, “ that I would meet the 
price.” I wasn’t going to say anything of the kind, but as 
he didn’t want any I was safe in saying it now. 

“ Then you may send me two. I think I know a place 
where I can sell two.” 

Just so ! I was in for it again, and in for it bad. Some- 
times it pays to be smart, and sometimes it does not. This 
was one of the latter times. Asa matter of fact I had no 
business to quote a discount greater than 20 per cent., but I 
had said 25 so as to make a good impression on him, and at 
25 and 10 I was sure to catch Hail Columbia from the 
house. 

Just then Bob, who had come over when appealed to 
about the list, said : 

“ There’s that list you wanted,” and drew one out of a pile 
of papers on the desk. Tucker opened it with an air of 
^ satisfaction, but I could see his face grow black. 

“ D — n it, this isn’t it.” 

“Yes, it is; it’s the one that came in yesterday, and 
i there’s the figures on it you made for Utley,” persisted Bob. 
i I did not wait on ceremony, but looked over Tucker’s 
i shoulders, and to my astonishment and delight, there was, 
; in. plain figures, discount on Parker guns, 15 and 10 per 
i cent. 

I “How in thunder did I make such a mistake!” said 
1 Tucker, with a somewhat downfallen air. 

“We all do it,” said I, anxious to help him out the best 
' way I could. “ Fifteen and 10 is low enough, but if they 
: were offering 50 and 10 1 would meet them.” 


22 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


Don’t you think, good reader, that this was a proper thing 
to say ? It seemed so to me, and cost nothing, so I said it. 
I added, “You see, Mr. Tucker, my price of 25 per cent, 
straight was a better one than Reachum’s. Shall I send the 
guns at 25 ? ” 

“ Why, you just now said you’d sell at 25 and 10 ! ” 

“ I said that because you said you were offered at 25 and 
10, but as that was a mistake I take back my figures.” 

“ Well, let the Parker guns go.” 

I was quite glad to do so. But it made it up-hill work for 
a few minutes, until Tucker had got over his chagrin about 
the guns. But we managed to get in smooth water again, 
and when we were through I had taken a fair order from 
him, and much of it was for little odds and ends that paid 
us a good profit. I bade him good-day with a feeling of 
gratitude, and assured him of my hearty thankfulness. 

After dinner I tackled a general dealer. The hotel clerk 
told me the Pittsburg man, who was there a week before, 
had sold Cutter a bill, so I had no hopes of doing much with 
him, but I had two hours yet, and might as well improve 
them. 

“ Martin Cutter” was over the door, and I got an idea in 
my head that he was a long, thin individual, with black hair 
and whiskers. But he wasn’t. He was of medium size, well 
built, and had an air of shrewdness and of business about 
him. He was waiting on trade, so I sat down and watched 
him and took notes of the stock. When he was through 
with his customer he came forward and met me pleasantly, 
spoke well of our house, but said he was just getting in a 
bill of revolvers and cartridges, and needed nothing in our 
line. 

There was something about him that made me like him 
at once, and I had the feeling that I was making a pleasant 
impression upon him. We chatted about Pittsburg, about 
gun houses, about the cutting going on in prices, and the 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


23 


general dullness in all business. I think that when I went 
out of the store I had more respect for him as a mau and 
as a merchant than 1 had for the two who had bought of me. 
Had he needed any goods, I would have given him my 
lowest prices at the first word. As I was walking back to 
the hotel I suddenly remembered that he was just the man 
to buy a certain pocket-knife that we had lately taken hold 
of, and I went back to speak about it to him. 

“ Are you sending goods here to any one ” he asked. 

“ Yes, two bills.” 

“ Then send me a dozen.” 

I thanked him, and went off feeling better. The chances 
are always decidedly in your favor of selling a man whom 
you have sold before. The dealer who lets you leave town 
without an order this trip will let you go twice as readily 
the next time. I like to get him down in my order book 
even though it is for some very trifling thing, because of 
the influence it will have on the future. 

I went to the hotel, copied off my orders, and mailed them, 
feeling that I had done extra well, and then sauntered leis- 
urely to the depot. On the train a man behind me heard 
me ask the conductor about Kossmore. 

He leaned over and asked, Are you selling goods?” 

‘‘ Yes.” 

“ Then we’ll go to Kossmore together. What line are 
you in ? ” 

“ Guns and revolvers.” 

“ The devil you are ! So am I.” 


24 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTER IV. 

I didn’t fancy going to a town with a competitor. I have 
now been on the road a good many years, and I do not 
fancy it to-day. If I can get in there one train ahead of 
him I will strain every nerve to do it, but rather than go in 
on the same train I would hang back and let him have the 
first “ go ” at the town and take my chances for what he 
leaves. 

When two men selling the same goods are in a town to- 
gether the dealers usually take advantage of it. They tell 
the first man that they may want this or that, “ if they can 
buy it right, ” and, after getting his price, say he can come 
in later. He knows very well that this means his competi- 
tor is to be consulted also, and he must have a very stiff 
backbone indeed if he does not cut his own prices at once. 

So when my neighbor on the train told me he also was 
going to Rossmore and was selling guns and revolvers, I felt 
my courage ooze out of my fingers. He handed me a card, 
with a good-natured smile, and I read : 

Shiverhim & Gaily, 

Philadelphia. 

I don’t like to hand out a card as an introduction of my- 
self to other traveling men, so I told him my name and that 
of my house, and we considered ourselves acquainted. 

“ Is this your first trip ? ” 

How, why in thunder should he have asked that? Did I 
look different from other traveling men? I felt as if he 
showed very bad taste in asking such a question and 1 made 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


25 


a note to never do it unless I wanted to be mean. But I 
told Blissam (that was his name) that it was my first trip. 

“ Then you’ll find Kossmore a tough place to tackle.” 

I said we had three customers there. 

“ So have we ; so has every dealer that ever went there. 
They buy a handful of goods of everybody, and they buy 
most goll-darned cheap. They’ll lie to you until your head 
swims. First, there’s Fisher ; keeps an eating room on the 
main fioor and gun store up-stairs. I’ll go in and quote him 
Kemington guns at $36, when you call he’ll ask your price; 
if you say $36, he’ll tell you that you’re high, and he’ll break 
you down in spite of yourself.” 

“ But when a fellow gets to the bottom he’s got to stop,” 
said I. 

“ Oh, there’s no bottom to guns. It’s the meanest busi- 
ness in the world, and it used to be the best. In ’70-’73 I 
could make big profits as easy as a duck swims, but now it’s 
all glory. I sold Simmons a bill of $600 last week, and 
! made exactly eighteen dollars. 

“ Oh, well,” said I, “ you can’t expect to make much on 
Simmons, but there are lots of places where you do make a 
good profit now.” 

“No, sir; it can’t be done. Say, are you going to cut 
prices much at Kossmore ? ” 

“ Not at all, if I can help it. I’m out on the road to make 
I money, and not to show big sales. But I’m afraid your 
i house will overshadow mine.” 

1 “ Oh, that’s all nonsense ; people don’t go a cent on houses 
' any more ; prices are what tell. I’ll introduce you.” 

! Not much. No competitor of mine ever introduced me 
il or ever shall. I prefer to introduce myself in my own time 
and way. 

We reached Kossmore about 7 o’clock in the evening. 
: Blissam took it for granted that I was going to the Everett 
I House, but my hotels had been fixed for me by our old trav- 
i 3 


26 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


eling man, and he had instructed me to go to the Forest ; a 
cheaper house, but in all other respects equal to the other. 
I was rather glad, too, that we were not going to the same 
house. Be ever so sociable with a competitor, still the fact 
remains that he is a competitor, and his success means your 
failure. Under such circumstances a man must be less inter- 
ested in his business than I was to permit him to feel very 
desirous of his competitor’s company. 

After registering at the hotel it occurred to me that it 
would be a good idea to catch any of the dealers that I could 
that evening and break the ice. It might be worth some- 
thing to make a good impression before Blissam got around. 
After getting my bearings well established, I started to call 
on Billwock. 

Billwock was pretty generally known in the gun trade ; 
first for being mighty slow pay, and second for the fact that 
they had a baby at his shop regularly every year or of- 
tener, and the store was used as nursery and play -ground. 
Traveling men had to see the last baby and count all the old 
ones, and according as they praised them did old Billwock 
buy liberally or not. 

The head of the house had said to me, “ Don’t push goods 
on Billwock; he owes us enough already. If you squeeze 
a good payment out of him you can sell him a small bill.” 

This kind of talk is all good enough, so far as it goes; but 
the poor devil on the road often finds he can’t get a cent, 
neither can he sell any goods. The men at home think all 
he need do is to say, “ Here I am ; what is it you want ?” and 
then copy the order as fast as he can write. But the men 
who order that way are the kind who never intend to pav 
for what they order. 

I thought the matter of Billwock’s account all over by the 
time I found his store. It was dimly lighted, but I saw a 
man and woman at the rear, and went in. A mussy and 
dirty looking man came forward to meet me, but when he 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


27 


had walked a little way he evidently concluded that I was a 
drummer, and that I might walk the rest of the way to him. 

“ Is this Mr. Billwock ? - ’ I asked. 

‘‘Yes.” 

I told him who I was, but he seemed little interested. I 
started to ask about his business, but some one sang out my 
name and said, “ Don’t go talking business out there ; come 
back and see the baby.” 

JBlissam, by thunder ! 

I went baok and found him beside Mrs. Billwock, with a 
young one on his knee, and as much at home as if he was 
the uncle of all concerned. I made up my mind that Bliss- 
am could’t be any more sociable than I could, and I set out 
to do my prettiest. 

About 9 o’clock we both went out together, and, perhaps 
naturally, drifted to the smoking room of his hotel. He 
was an old hand on the road, and full of stories of his own 
and others’ experience. I tried to be a good listener. 

“ There are some mighty queer men in the trade,” said he, 
as he puffed his cigar. “ I took an order from a man in In- 
diana, not long ago, for felt wads, Nos. 8 and 9, and for 
some cardboard. When I went to copy my orders I re- 
membered that the man had given no size for the cardboard 
wanted, but I was pretty sure he wanted 12’s, and wrote 
that size. As it happened the house was out of Ho. 9 felt 
and let it go, as he only wanted one-third of a dozen. What 
did the fellow do but send back the card-board wads, say- 
ing he had ordered 9’s, and giving us Hail Columbia for 
sending 12’s instead, as well as a long epistle about knowing 
his own business, and not wanting our help in running it. 
The card-board wads were worth about 33 cents, and the ex- 
press charges on them back were 25 cents. I tell you the 
world is full of smart Alecks.” 

“ I presume I have seen more about returned goods than 
you have,” I said, “ as I have been in the store so long, and 


28 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


see every package that comes in. I do get my back up over 
some of the stupid things the average retailer will do. It never 
seems to enter his head to drop the house a card and await their 
instructions about the goods that are unsatisfactory, but he 
fancies he is showing how smart he is by whacking them 
back at once, and always by express, no matter how heavy 
the goods are. A neighbor of mine, a hardware man, told me 
an instance of the smart Aleck a few days ago. The house 
was handling a new tubular lantern and selling it under 
the market price of regular goods. The traveling man 
sent in three orders from a Michigan town, each of them for 
one-half dozen lanterns. The stock clerk had a single half 
dozen of the new lantern and found a half-dozen case of the 
genuine. He filled two orders and put the other half-dozen 
on the back-order book. The genuine was billed at the cut 
price and nothing said on the bill. In a day or two back 
that case came by express, and an indignant letter from the 
customer for palming off on him the old tubular, when the 
agent had sold the new. The clerk erased the mark and 
sent the case back to the other man in the town whose order 
was not filled. You can see how much time, trouble and ex- 
pense would have been saved had the smart Aleck dropped 
a card to the house saying he did not want the lanterns and 
held them subject to orders. 

“ Yes, ” said Blissam, “ but I have seen goods go back 
when I thought it was the proper thing to do. You know 
one of the latest schemes is to sell goods in cases, and throw 
in the show-case. It started with needle and thread men 
and has gone into a good many other things. A concern 
from somewhere in Ohio had a man in Illinois selling shears 
in this way. In one town he sold the dry-goods man a case, 
at 45 per cent, off retail prices, and gave him the exclusive 
sale of the town, and then sold a hardware man across the 
street at 50 per cent, discount, and gave him the exclusive sale. 
When each party opened up his stock and made a display 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


29 


they soon discovered how the land lay, and, furthermore, the 
way in which the dry-goods man swore when he saw the 
other’s bill at so much less than his, would have made your 
hair stand up. He boxed up these goods and sent them 
back by express, and I thought he did right.” 

I went down to my hotel and sat awhile in the smoking- 
room. There were several traveling men there, and they 
seemed to be very much interested in some “ she,” but I was 
never a good hand at making acquaintances, and I made no 
effort here, but went to my room and soon fell asleep, to 
dream all night about selling goods at 100 per cent, profit. 

The next morning I was out bright and early to see 
Jewell & Son. The clerk said neither of the firm was in, 
so I made myself as pleasant to him as I could, and posted 
myself as to the goods the house was handling, and the 
prices they were paying. By and by the elder Jewell ap- 
peared, and as I introduced myself he said : 

“ Gun men are plenty to-day ; my son has just gone to the 
hotel with a Mr. Blissam to look at his goods.” 


30 


A MA N OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTEE Y. 

When I found that Blissam was ahead of me, notwith- 
standing my being out so early, I felt as if I should be glad 
to get away from him as soon as I could. He was al- 
together too numerous for me. He had told me he wasn’t 
going to cut prices, and I was very sure I did not want to 
do it, but I made up my mind I was going to get my share of 
the trade, cut or no cut. 

I began with talk to Mr. Jewell about a single-barrel breech- 
loader our house was controlling, and quoted it at $7.20, 
sixty days. 

“ Is that the F. & W. gun ? ” he asked. 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“Why, Blissam quotes that at $7.” 

The deuce he did ! Yet he was the boy that didn’t in- 
tend to cut. 

“ Was his price net ? ” 

“ Ho, two off, ten days.” 

“ Well, that brings them $6.86. We make 6 off in case 
lots, bringing them down to $6.84, and there is 2 off that, ten 
days.” 

This was so mighty close to what the goods were costing 
us that I felt like crying as I made the figures ; but my back 
was up, and I didn’t propose to let Blissam walk over me, 
even if he was from Philadelphia. 

Mr. Jewell was a very pleasant man to meet. He had no 
hobbies, no crotchets. He was as pleasant with me as if I 
was buying instead of trying to sell to him. This is a pretty 
good test of a man. One that meets a strange traveling 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


31 


man pleasantly and gives him a patient hearing is bound to 
be pleasant and kind-hearted clear through. 

I gave him quotations on revolvers and cartridges, and 
tried to get him to say he would not order of Blissam till I 
saw him again ; but he would not promise, for the reason, 
he said, that his son might even then be buying at Blissam’s 
room. Still, he said, it was the son’s custom to do no more 
than make a memorandum at the hotel and give the order 
after consulting him. 

I then started off to see Billwock, and squeeze some money 
out of him. His wife and seven children (or more) were 
there, but no Billwock. Where was he ? 

He was down getting a boat ready to go fishing with Mr. 
Blissam that afternoon, she said. 

Confound Blissam ! 

Had Mr. Billwock left any word for me? 

“ Nein ; not ein wort.” 

I found where he was and started for him. He wasn’t at 
all pleased to see me ; in fact he didn’t seem to care whether 
I had gone from Kossmore or not. 

“ Going fishing? ” I asked. 

“ Yes ; I dakes a leetle fish.” 

“ Don’t you need some goods ? ” 

“ Ho ; I dinks not.” 

“ How about money ? Haven’t you got some for me ? ” 

“Hot a toUar now. You see I pay Blissam last night 
every tollar I haf.” 

“ Why didn’t you divide ? ” 

“ It was not wort’ w’ile.” 

“ But I must have some money ; your account is long past 
due and we need it.” 

“ W’at you do ? I got no money, I told you. ” 

“You must get some. I don’t care how you get it or 
what you do, but I must have $50 to-day. ” 

“Well ; if I get it I gif it you.” 


32 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


‘‘But you are not going to get it while you are off fishing. 
I don’t want to be too stiff, but 1 want you to understand 
that I mean just what I say. Our house drew on you and 
you let the draft come back, and I have orders now to at- 
tend to it.” 

“ What you do, s’pose I not get it ? ” 

“ I shall tell you when the time comes.” 

He saw I meant business, so tied up his boat and started 
toward the store, muttering to himself and looking daggers 
at me. When he reached the store he talked in German 
with his wife, a while, and finally said to me: 

“ You come in pimepy and I see what I can do.” 

Satisfied there would be some money coming I then called 
on the hardware house of Whipper & Co. I had often 
heard of Whipper. He was known to the trade as the big- 
gest liar east of the Mississippi ; but a real good liar is 
usually an affable fellow to meet, and Whipper called me 
“ My dear boy ” before we were together five minutes. 

I sympathize with business men in their affliction from 
traveling men. We go into their stores early or late, as 
suits ourselves; we expect their immediate attention, and 
we want to sell them or have a good reason for not doing it. 
I often walk back to a man’s desk and find him intently at 
work over something ; I would gladly back out if I could, and 
risk the coming in later at a more opportune time. But he 
has seen me, probably cusses to himself, hopes I am selling 
something he doesn’t keep, so he can cut me off at once, 
and then takes my card or listens to my name. 

I don’t want to come right out and say “ Do you need 
anything in my line?” for if he answers “Ho” 1 ought to 
turn about and leave him, so I casually remark that it is a 
good day, or a stormy day, and he says “ Yes,” as if he had 
heard that before. I take a roundabout way of getting to my 
business, and all the time he would be very glad if I was 
in Halifax. I may interest him in my goods before I get 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


33 


through, but if he could have had his way he would have 
omitted the interview until a better time for him. 

But there are men on the road who drum a man if they 
reach the town at midnight, and as he sticks his head out of 
his bedroom window, inform him they are giving an extra 
2^ on “ J. I. C. ^ curry-combs and ask him how he wants 
his shipped. Henley can do this. The boys on the road 
know that he carries a Waterbury watch in each pocket, 
and expects to sell 1,000 bills in 1,000 minutes. 

I appreciate such a man as Whipper. Whatever it was he 
was doing he always dropped it, and met a salesman as if he 
was honestly pleased. I think that ought to offset a great 
many sins. I hope it will. 

I told him my little story and he looked as if he believed 
every word I said. Then he asked, in a very confidential 
tone ‘‘ What is your best price on American bull-dogs ? ” 

“Two dollars and eighty -five cents.” 

“ Phew ! You are far out of the way, my dear boy, far 
out of the way. Did you see this last card of Beachum’s ? 
Ho? How could you? You are on the road. We now 
get two postals a day from Reachum, and I expect to see 
them coming oftener by and by. Tom, where’s Reachum’s 
last card ? ” 

“ I don’t know ; I toss them in the waste basket when I 
come across them.” 

“ Don’t do it again ; I want to make a collection of them 
in an album. So $2.86 is the best you can do ? ” 

Now, $2.85 was as well as any one could do, and we only 
had a margin of 10 per cent, to figure on. But I determined 
to cut a little, just for fun, and see what the upshot would 
be. So I said, “ $2.86 is bottom everywhere, but I am going 
to make you a special price of $2.82^.” 

“ Tom,” said he turning to the desk, “What was that Shiv- 
erhim & Gaily man’s price for bull-dogs? ” 

“ Two dollars and eighty cents.” 


34 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


I sw'ore to myself that I would punch Blissam’s head when 
I next met him in a good place. There was no getting even 
with him, let alone getting ahead of him. I dared not go 
below $2.80, sell or no sell, so I began to talk brand. 

‘‘ Two dollars and eighty cents is all the Lovell bull-dog 
ought to sell for,” I said : ‘‘ in fact $2.75 is Keachum’s price 
on them, but we are selling F. & W. goods, and can easily 
get 5 to 10 cents more for them.” 

‘‘ Will you sell me some of LovelFs at $2.75 ? ” 

“ I would if I had them, but we don’t carry them. I’ll 
make you the F. & W. at $2.80, and I shall catch thunder 
for doing that. But I want to sell you.” 

‘‘ To be sure ; to be sure ! ” 

He said this as a man might humor a child, and as if he 
fully understood all that was in my mind. 

“ Tom, do we need any bull-dogs? ” 

“ Ho, sir ; got 50 on the way from Eeachum at $2.70.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


36 


CHAPTEE YI. 

I probably looked as disappointed as I felt, for Whipper’s 
voice took on a very sympathetic tone. “ You could not 
touch $2.70?” he asked. 

“ No, sir.” 

I felt like adding, ‘‘I can’t touch anything; Pm going 
home.” 

‘‘What is your price on cartridges?” 

“ Combination price ; same as every one else.” 

“ Is this ,your first trip ? ” 

“ Yes, and my last. Pm not cut out for the road. I don’t 
suppose I could sell you anything even if you wanted it ; 
I’m not a success.” 

“ Pooh ; pooh ! I’ve been on the road myself ; it is not al- 
ways fair sailing, and it is not always foul. Keep a stiff 
upper lip.” 

Yes, keep a stiff upper lip, when goods were being sold at 
cost all around you! I was not built that way. Just then 
the book-keeper, Tom, handed a memo, to Whipper and he 
turned to me. “ Have you Quickenbush rifies ? ” 

“Yes; blued and plated. Kegular price, $5. I’ll make 
you special price if you want any.” 

“ What will you do ? ” 

They cost us $4. 50 at the factory ; I quoted $4.75. 

“ Great Ca3sar ! You are high ! ” 

“ Yes ? Well, it is the best I can do.” 

“ Make it $4.50 and we will take twelve.” 

“ No, sir ; it can’t be done. But I am afraid there is no 
use in my trying to sell you. If you can get them at $4.50 
you can buy as low as we can.” 


36 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


‘‘ Well, send me a dozen.” 

I entered the order. Was there anything else ? 

“ What is the best you will do on bull-dogs? ” 

“ $2.80 is bottom ; but you say you have ordered them ? ” 

“ Oh, that is one of Tom’s lies ; you may send us 50.” 

We went through the list, and the old man gave me a very 
nice order ; then followed me to the door with his arm in 
mine, and sent me off as if he was bidding good-by to a 
son. I forgave him all his lies, and feel kindly toward him 
to this day. 

I ran into a hardware store with my samples of cutlery, 
hoping to do something in a line where Blissam could not 
meet me, but the first man 1 saw was Blissam, leaning over 
the show-case, as if entirely at home, and in full possession 
of the stock. He introduced me to Mr. Thompson as if we 
had been traveling companions for life, but added to me, 
“ Thompson does not do much in our line, except caps and 
cartridges, and I’ve just fixed him up.” 

I felt like taking him by the nape of the neck and drop- 
ping him down the sewer, but I turned to Mr. Thompson 
and talked cutlery. I told him I had a line of Ho. 1 goods 
at low prices, every blade warranted, and put up in extra 
nice style for retailers. 

“ Whose make?” he asked. 

“ Horthington’s ; but made especially for our house, and 
with our brand. We are making a specialty of a few pat- 
terns, and intend to make it an object to the retailer to 
handle them and stick to them.” 

“ You can’t touch me on those goods,” said Thompson ; 
“ I’ve handled them and had trouble with them. I am now 
handling nothing but the Hew York. I don’t know that 
they’re better than any other, but Tom Bradley dropped in 
here one day, and I had to give him an order, and I’ve not 
been able to leave him ever since.” 

“ Does he come often ? ” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


37 


“ No, about once in two years or so, but he’s business from 
the ground up. I like him and like his goods, and I don’t 
want to change.” 

I took out my samples more for the purpose of posting 
' myself than with hopes of selling him, and where my pat- 
terns were like those in his stock he passed mine over with- 
out a word, but I saw that two patterns of mine pleased 
him. They were even-enders, in. brass lined, and cost us 
j $3.85. We had been getting, in half dozen lots, $4.80, but 
I felt that I was in a dangerous place, and I quoted $4.25. 

He went back to his stock and returned with a sample the 
i exact counterpart of mine, and said, smiling, “ This is Brad- 
( ley’s ; he’s a tough fellow to beat ; I paid $3.65 for it.” 

I lost all interest in pocket knives then and there and got 
•i out of the store right speedily. I was feeling savage, and 
made straight for Billwock’s. He had made a raise of $40 
for me, saying, with several German- American oaths, that 
was all he could do, and when I talked of selling him some- 
thing he looked as if he would throw me out of the window. 

I called twice at Jewell’s before I caught father and son 
; there together, and then I had a difficult task before me. 

The father was inclined to give me the preference, the son 
I favored Blissam, but they had not yet ordered, and were 
> needing some goods, and I felt as if I could never forgive 
I myself if I were to fail then and there. 

They tackled me first on Flobert rifles ; I quoted them 
j at exactly 10 per cent, above cost to import, but they de- 
j dared I was too high. I felt sure Blissam’s house bought 
1 no lower than we did, and that he could not sell on less 
! margin than that, so I stood up to the price. Then we took 
( up bull-dogs; I named $2.80, and they shook their heads 
i at that ; so they did at price of Champion guns, till I began 
to feel that my case was hopeless. 

“ I am afraid we can’t give you an order to-day,” said the 
< son. 


I, 


38 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


‘‘I have quoted you my best prices,” I said, “and am dis- 
appointed.” 

They talked together a few moments and finally said, 
“ You may send us a case of Champion guns,” and this was 
followed by other items. I could see that they were divid- 
ing the order between Blissam and me, and I felt grateful 
for even this, and tried to make this evident. I succeeded 
in getting several items that paid a good profit, and I went 
to my hotel feeling that I had done pretty well. 

At the desk I was handed a note from Whipper, saying : 

If you cannot make the Quicken bush rifies $4.60 please 
omit them. 

There was but $3 profit in the item, and I would have 
omitted them but for a desire that Blissam should not get 
ahead of me ; so I started for the store to learn something 
about it. On the way I met Blissam, and I put it right at 
him. “ Are you quoting Quickenbush rifles at $4.60 ? ” 

“ Not by a drum sight ! Who says so ? ” 

I handed him Whipper’s note. 

“ Are you going there ? ” he asked. 

I said I was. 

“ ni go with you.” 

This suited me. We saw no look of surprise on Whipper’s 
face. I went straight to the point. “ I can’t sell the rifles at 
$4.60, Mr. Wldpper, unless I know some one else has quoted 
that price ; if they have. I’ll meet it.” 

“ Just scratch them off,” said he, as calm as a day in June. 

“ But has any one given you such a figure ? ” 

“ Ask me no questions, and I’ll tell you no lies. If I can 
get them at $4.60 I will take them.” 

I could get nothing more out of him and we started back. 
On the way we met Tom, Whipper’s book-keeper. I asked 
him what it meant. “ Oh,” said he, laughing, “ I guess the 
old man thinks he can get them at $4.60, but we have so 
many on hand, perhaps it’s only his way of canceling the 
item.” And that was all I ever got from them about it. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


39 


I 


CHAPTER YIL 

I parted with Blissam at the hotel, he going to the South 
1 and I West, and about 7 o’clock that evening I reached 

’ B . I had often heard our traveling man speak of the 

I hotel here, and the popularity it had among salesmen, so 
I was prepared to find the smoking room tolerably well filled 
when I went in there after supper. There were half a dozen 
I or more in one group, who seemed to be on the best of terms, 
! and I listened to their talk. I found that they were discuss- 
\ ing the mistakes of the shipping and stock clerks, and of 
• course that touched me upon a tender spot, and I was all 
: attention. 

“ Some of our boys used to make the most absurd mis- 
i takes,” said one talker ; “ but the old man was about as bad 
^ as any of them. I remember getting most mighty scared 
1 once. I had been entry clerk and^shipper and jack-of-all- 
; trades in the house. One night’s mail brought us back a 
I letter we had mailed, with the notation of the postmaster, 
/ ‘ No such man here.’ Taylor, the boss, took the mail, calling 
i. out to the book-keeper, ‘ Fague, I guess we’ve got a mistake 
L on you this time.’ Fague looked at it, saying, ‘ I don’t be- 
i lieve Pve made a mistake, but if I have I must stand it.’ The 
i envelope was torn open and the address on the bill was the 
ci same as that on the outside, John Smith, New Castle, Ind. 
i Then I was sent to the order book, but the order there was 
) New Castle, Ind. Taylor was getting mad. 1 was told to 
q find the original order, which I did, and discovered that it was 
ji from John Smith, New Carlisle, Ind. Says Taylor, ‘ There’s 
> altogether too many mistakes here. Now these goods are 
i! lying at New Castle, and will have to be ordered back ; the 


4:0 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


chances are Smith will refuse to receive them, and we will 
lose at least $75. The man that made that mistake ought to 
be known ; if we owe him anything he can have it in the 
morning, and then let him be discharged. What do you 
say, Dewey ? ’ ‘ It’s a bad mistake,’ said Dewey, the part- 
ner, ‘ and we are making a good many, but it’s pretty hard 
to discharge a man. Let us see who made, it, and show him 
how much loss it causes us, and give him a pretty good scold- 
ing.’ ‘ No,’ said Taylor, ‘ he ought to be discharged ; d — n 
him, he ain’t fit to’ be around a store ; if we owe him any- 
thing pay him up, and let him go ; it will be a lesson to the 
rest. Billy,’ turning to me, ‘ bring the book here so we can 
see who made that mistake.’ Now I was most mighty afraid 
that I had done it. I had been doing that work, more or less 
of the time, and I trembled as if I had the ague. And in 
looking at it before, I had paid no attention to the writing. 
I went back to the desk for the book, and brought it to 
Taylor. Dewey came over to look at it as Taylor opened 
the book and found the place. ‘ H — 1,’ said Taylor, ‘ I did it 
myself ! ’ Jerusalem ! but I felt good ! ‘ Well,’ said Dewey, 
‘ if we owe you anything you’d better take it.’ I was just 
about dying to holler. The next day all the boys knew it, 
and Taylor was mighty quiet for several weeks after that.” 

“ I came near losing a customer once,” said another man, 
“ by a little carelessness. I went into his store in a great 
hurry ; sold him a bill, and collected pay for a previous one. 
I neglected to enter the collection on my book and also to 
report to the house. They shipped the goods ordered, but sup- 
posing that I had not collected amount due from him, inclosed 
a statement of account with a ‘please remit’ at the bottom. 
No bull ever flew at a red rag quicker than he flew at that 
statement, and he wrote a saucy letter, saying he had paid 
me, and he didn’t like being dunned for a paid bill, etc., etc. 
You all know just how a small man will act under those con- 
ditions. They forwarded his letter to me and I acknowl- 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


41 


edged my carelessness ; I wrote him taking all the blame on 
my shoulders, and explaining how the mistake happened. 
But his Irish was up, and in a few weeks he went into the 
store, still talking ‘ bigitty,’ proposing to settle up and quit. 
The book-keeper took his money, handing him back his 
change and a receipt. He counted the change and pushed it 
back, saying, ‘ That ain’t right.’ The boss stood near, taking 
all the tongue-lashing, but feeling as if his cup would run 
over if the book-keeper had now been guilty of making a 
mistake. He took the change, ran it over hastily, and saw 
that it was correct. This was nuts. ‘ It seems,’ said he, ‘ you 
occasionally make mistakes, Mr. B., so you ought to make 
allowance for others. It is a devilish smart man who never 
makes a mistake, and a devilish mean one who will not make 
allowances for the mistakes made by another.’ ‘ Oh, I’m 
mean, am I,’ said B. ; ^ well, I pay my bills.’ ‘ So do other 
people; you’re not the only man who pays.’ But B. went 
off on his high horse. The next time I went there I could’ nt 
touch him with a ten -foot pole, but the trip after he came 
around all right.” 

‘‘ I wish I had no collecting to do,” said a man near me ; 

I can sell goods, but collecting is the deuce-and-all. I envy 
the Hew Yorkers who don’t have any collecting to do. 
Their business is to sell, and the house collects.” 

But when we do have to look after an account,” said a 
man whom I had set down as a Hew Yorker from the first, 
‘‘it is always a tough one. Hot long ago our house told me to 
stop at a town to see one Berry & Co., who had let two 
drafts come back, and then had written an impudent letter. 
They had given us an order for about $700 worth of goods, 
but they are quoted light, and the old man concluded he’d 
send on a part of it, and when that was paid send another 
part, and so on. They refused to pay because they did not 
get all the goods ordered, and when asked for a report of 
their condition refused to give one, saying parties could 
4 


42 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


find out about them from Dun or Bradstreet. I presented 
the account and was told they wouldn’t pay until they had 
to. I reasoned with them, but the fellow was a big-head, 
and the more I talked the worse he acted. I finally told 
him I was sent there to get the money or put the account in 
the hands of an attorney, and went out saying I would be 
back again at a given hour and I hoped they would be ready 
to settle up. I went to the other dealers there whom I knew 
and the}^ all said the fellow hadn’t a leg to stand on in court. 
I went back in the afternoon, and after getting another 
tongue lashing, he gave me a check, but told me I had lied, 
as he handed it to me. I haven’t wanted to punch any one 
in years as I did him, but I gave him my opinion of him in 
a few words, and he won’t soon forget it, either. Now, you 
Western men don’t have that kind of trouble in your col- 
lecting.” 

“ No,” said a grocer, our men never sa}^ they will not 
pay ; it’s the other way; they say they will and then don’t. 
Seems to me I could get along with a man who said he 
wouldn’t but could be made to. I could do something there ; 
but the fellow who solemnly assures you he will send in a 
large remittance next week, and then doesn’t, is a hard one 
to manage.” 

“ Do you want to know who, in my opinion, is the smallest 
man on earth ? ” asked a Chicago traveler. 

Of course they all looked assent. 

‘‘Well,” said he, “Ed. Smythe told about him the other 
day, and I know the man. Ed. had his samples open at the 
Moody House and called on the man. Yes, he would go 
look at them ; he wanted a few German goods. He went 
there, looked the cards all over (Ed. has three trunks), made 
a sheet full of memo’s, and said he would write out an order. 
Ed. called around about 6 o’clock in the evening. There are 
two chairs in the office ; the hog sat in one and had his feet 
in the other ; he was reading a newspaper and kept on read- 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


43 


ing ; Ed. stood around patiently, as any man can afford to be 
patient if he is going to get an order. In the course of half 
an hour a friend came in and wanted to know of the hog if 
he wasn’t ready to go somewhere. He jumped up, pushed 
his books in the safe, talked to his friend, and ignored Ed. 
After a while Ed. said : ‘ Have you made out your order, 

Mr. B. ? ’ ‘ Ho, sir ; I’m not going to give you an order. I 

don’t intend to buy any more from your house,’ and he 
walked into Ed. in a way that he evidently thought would 
impress his friend that he was a wonderful cuss. Ed. is a 
good-natured fellow, and business is business ; he didn’t open 
on him then, but he got even before long. I tell you the 
smallest man in the world ; the meanest dog in the kennel ; 
the dirtiest whelp I know, is the fellow who thinks it’s brave 
to abuse a drummer when he has him in his own store.” 

This received a universal amen. 

“ Let me read you a sketch from the American Grocer on 
‘ Smart Alecks,’ ” said a man, drawing a copy of that paper 
out of his pocket. “ It’s called, ‘ Solomon Smart visits the 
City.’” 


44 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTER yill. 

Solomon Smart, of Hew Portage, O., dealer in general 
merchandise and country produce, had been in business three 
years, but had never, until the present occasion, visited the 
city where the larger share of his purchases came from. 

Going to the city was something to which he had long 
looked forward. He had dreamt of it when he was a clerk ; 
he had eagerly questioned the traveling men about it, and 
his old employer always told marvelous tales when he re- 
turned from his annual trip. 

When the old man died, and Solomon, assisted by his father- 
in-law, was enabled to buy the stock, he began to arrange for 
a business trip to the city, but somehow every plan he made 
was interfered with and came to naught. It was a source 
of great grief to him that he could not carr}^ out his plans. 

If I could only get to Toledo,” he often said to his wife, 
‘‘ I could save at least 10 per cent, on prices, and I could pick 
up job lots of things at big discounts. All the jobbing houses 
have odds and ends that they are willing to sell at anything 
they can get, in order to get rid of the stuff. I hate to buy of 
drummers. It costs piles of money to keep them on the 
road, and the men that buy of them have to pay it.” 

Solomon, as may be supposed, was not popular with trav- 
eling men. His contempt for them was expressed openly, 
and his opinion of their being a curse to retailers was usu- 
ally the first thing he told them, after he had looked at their 
cards. Some of them argued the matter with him. Some 
of the more independent members of the profession told him 
he was a blank fool. But those who called regularly let him 


A MAN OF SAJVIPLES. 


45 


say his say and then squeezed an order from him, keeping 
their opinion of him for use outside his store. 

His peculiar opinion of traveling salesmen was not his only 
peculiarity. Most of “ the boys ’’ on the road mentioned 
him as “ Smarty Smart,” because of certain tendencies he 
had of making reductions in prices, of marking off charges 
for cartage or boxing, or of returning goods because he had 
changed his mind after buying them. 

Solomon didn’t intend to be mean ; he fancied he was 
only standing up for his rights, and if he occasionally took a 
little more than his conscience told him was his “ rights,” 
he soothed that by saying to himself that the house wanted 
to sell him so mighty bad they would stand it. 

Let a man be constituted as Solomon was and his smart- 
ness ” grows on him. He has an idea that every house he 
buys from is trying to get unfair advantage of him, and 
that he must present a bold front or he will be imposed upon. 
He always magnifies his importance as a buyer, and fancies 
that every order he sends in is met with a hand-organ and 
treated to champagne. 

So when he finally saw his way clear to making the long- 
wished-for visit, some of his pleasantest anticipations were 
the welcomes he expected from the heads of the wholesale 
houses, and the invitations he would receive to dine and wine 
with them. But he did not propose that they should pull 
the wool over his eyes. He would show them that he was 
no ‘‘greeny,” and that he knew what was what. 

He carried two large empty valises with him to bring 
home as much of his purchases as possible as baggage, and 
when he reached the city hotel late in the evening the clerk 
sized him up as easily and as accurately as if he had known 
him for ages, and sent him to one of the poorest rooms in 
the house most unceremoniously. 

The next morning, bright and early, Mr. Smart started 
out to do business. His first call was on a hardware man 


46 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


with whom he had done considerable business, and from 
whom he was sure of a warm welcome. He was met by 
a pleasant young man whose manner seemed to ask, What 
is your business ? He asked for Mr. Braun. Mr. Braun was 
not down yet but would be in a short time. Would he wait? 
Ho ; Solomon didn’t propose to wait. He was there on busi- 
ness and must attend to his business. Perhaps the young 
man could wait on him ? Ho, indeed ; Solomon didn’t come 
to town to be waited on by clerks. Perhaps he would call 
again, but he said it with a doubtful tone as if he was not 
sure that he would patronize a house where the proprietor 
didn’t get around earlier in the morning. Then again he 
was somewhat indignant that the clerk should not have 
known him, and when he was asked to leave his name he 
went off saying it was no matter. 

Then he called at Sikkor’s, wondering if anyone would 
be in there. Was Mr. Sikkor in? Ho ; did he want to see 
him personally? Personally! He wanted to see him on 
business, of course. He would not be at the store that 
morning, but Mr. Birden was at the desk, yonder, if he 
would do. Well, it was good to find one proprietor in ; and 
he moved over to Birden’s desk, where that gentleman was 
busy opening the morning’s mail. He looked up at the 
approach of Smart, said “ Good morning,” and waited for 
Solomon to tell his business. 

This is Mr. Birden ? ” 

‘‘Yes, sir,” pleasantly. 

Solomon had rather expected him to say, “ This is Mr. 
Smart ? ” and to hold out his arms, so he was somewhat dis- 
concerted. 

“ I buy goods of 3^our house occasionally.” 

“ Yes ? Whereabouts is your place ? ” 

“ Horth Portage.” 

“ Horth Portage, eh ? What is the name, please ? ” 

“ Smart.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


47 


1 es.*’ Solomon could see that he might as well have 
said Smith, so far as Birden’s seeming to recall it was con- 
cerned, and he began to get angr}^. 

“ How is trade, Mr. Smart ? ” 

“ Bather dull just at present.” 

“Sorry to hear that; hope it will improve. You have a 
memorandum for some of our goods, Mr. Smart? Let me 
call one of the men to wait on you. Church, look here.” 

And before Solomon had time to open his mouth he was 
introduced to Church, who shook hands with him, linked 
his arm through his, and had him half way to the sample 
room. They were getting, on well till Church asked : “ Let 
me see, Mr. Smart, where is 3^our place ? ” 

“ Horth Portage,” said Solomon in his crispest manner. 
Ho one seemed to know him, or to remember him five seconds. 

“Oh, yes; Horth Portage. Waite goes there. Waite’s 
a good fellow ; you like him, don’t you ?” 

“ I’d like to have him stay at home. I never want to see 
a drummer.” 

“ Is that so ? ” and Church looked at him in mild surprise. 
“Well, what shall we start on first ?” 

Soloman wasn’t prepared to start on anything. It wasn’t 
at all the way he had expected to get started. He didn’t 
like being pushed from one proprietor to another, and then 
to a mere clerk, and to have that man take it for granted 
that he was going to buy without any coaxing or figuring. 
He was disappointed. He expected to have bought a bill 
here, but there were other stores of the same kind in Toledo, 
and he believed he’d punish these fellows for their indiffer- 
ence by going somewhere else. Good idea ! He would act 
on it. 

He told Church that he guessed he wouldn’t leave an 
order just then ; maybe he would come in again. Church 
coaxed him a little then, but it was too late. Solomon was 
bound to go, and off he started for a notion house. 


48 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


The proprietor was in the office, shook hands with him, 
asked about trade and crops and finally proposed to show 
him some goods. This was more to Solomon’s taste, and he 
bought readily, but he was disgusted to see that prices were 
no lower than the traveling man had sold at. He mentioned 
this to Shaw. “Lowers Of course not. We can’t ask you 
one price in Toledo and another in North Portage. My 
man carries my stock into your store, lets you see the goods, 
quotes you prices and posts you.” 

“But his expenses are big; it costs you nothing to sell 
me now.” 

“ His expenses come out of my pocket ; not out of yours. 
I would be mighty glad if traveling men were done away 
with ; but it would be a saving to me, not to you.” 

This rather staggered Solomon, for it upset one of his hob- 
bies. As he was finishing, and about to say “ good-by ” to 
Mr. Shaw, he saw the book-keeper whisper into that gentle- 
man’s ear and turn away. 

“ By the by, Mr. Smart, my book-keeper tells me he has 
had some correspondence with you over deductions made in 
remittances. These little things are very annoying, and 
while the amount in dollars and cents is nothing, still busi- 
ness ought to be done in a business way.” 

Smart began to feel very hot. 

“ The book-keeper tells me that your last bill ran nearly 
two months over time, and that you not only refused to pay 
interest, but did not pay express on your remittance. Now, 
Mr. Smart, this is not right. Our place of business is To- 
ledo, not North Portage ; our bills are due here, not there ; 
and if we allow them to run sixty days after due we are 
loaning you money, and ought to be paid for the use of it.” 

“ I don’t get interest from my customers,” said Solomon. 

“ That’s your business and theirs. You do not sell them 
on a jobber’s profit. We deal with you as a business man, 
and in a business way. I think I know just how you feel,” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


49 


said Shaw, pleasantly ; ‘‘ when I began business I felt the 
same way. I squeezed every cent that I could from the men 
I bought from ; but I discovered that it was poor policy. I 
saved a few cents and lost the good will of the house, which 
was worth dollars. I speak of all this in a kindly way, and 
to avoid future misunderstandings. Don’t you think of any 
thing else? i^o? Well, good-by, I am glad you called and 
hope to do more with you in the future.” And before Sol- 
omon knew it he was bowed out. 

But he was boiling with rage. He was particularly angry 
with himself. He had stood there and taken the lecture as 
if he was a boy. It was in his mind to cancel the order just 
given to Shaw, but that gentleman had dismissed him so 
politely and smoothly that he hadn’t had time to do it. It 
had never seemed possible to him that he would have lis- 
tened to such a lecture as that without giving back as good 

as he got, and then sending the man and his goods to , a 

place where there is no insurance against fire. 

In no very happy frame of mind his next call was on his 
dry-goods house. Mr. Luce met him, when he introduced 
himself, decidedly coldly. Solomon began to think that he 
would go to some other house with his order rather than 
leave it here. But before lie made a move to go out Mr. 
Luce asked, “ Is there anything I can do for you ? ” 

I don’t know as there is.” 

“Our Mr. Goodnow did not stop at your place the 
other day because of your habit of returning goods. While 
we would be glad to do business with you, we cannot allow 
anyone the privilege of ordering goods and then returning 
them at our expense, if he happens to change his mind. I 
do not try to make Eastern houses shoulder my mistakes, if 
I make any in ordering goods, and I don’t see why I should 
bear your burdens.” 

“ Why don’t you send what I order? I didn’t order the 
blue print I returned the other day.” 


50 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


‘‘ Mr. Goodnow is very positive that you did order it. It 
is always possible that the small sample he carries with him 
appears differently to a man than the goods do when seen 
in the whole piece. And a man might occasionally be ex- 
pected to make a mistake, as you did the other day when 
you wrote us to send you three gross of corsets, when you 
intended, you said afterward, to order but three dozen. But 
in the last three bills bought of Goodnow you have sent 
back goods, and it is not possible that he made such mis- 
takes. Then you deduct from bills, though made out at 
prices agreed upon.” 

‘‘ The last cambrics were billed half a cent too high,” said 
Solomon. 

Then you shouldn’t have ordered them. The time to 
make prices is when you are buying. We have a price for 
every article in our stock ; if you ask it we will give it to 
you, and then you are at liberty to order or not, as you think 
best ; but if you send us an order for cambrics and say noth- 
ing about the price you have no right to express them back 
to us because our price happens to be different from what 
you expected. You could have learned our price before 
ordering, and not having done so, you ought to be man 
enough to stand to your own action.” 

‘‘ You claim to sell as low as any one, don’t you ? ” 

“ We do, and are ready to quote our prices so they can be 
compared with others when called upon to do so. But we 
all cut occasionally for reasons of our own, and I prefer to 
make prices when selling goods, not after they are delivered. 
Some time ago you returned by express a few trinkets. You 
knew that Mr. Goodnow would be at your place in a short 
time, and you might easily have waited until seeing him be- 
fore returning the goods, but you evidently thought you 
were punishing us and showing your grit by rushing them 
back by express. I assure you it does not add to your repu- 
tation as a business man. I thought I would mention these 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


51 


points to you because they are important in our relations, 
and unless the men you buy from feel pleasantly towards 
you there is every reason to suppose that you will be the 
loser.” 

“ I guess I can buy all the goods I want,” said Solomon ; 
“ I’ve not been troubled that way yet.” And he walked off, 
with a surly “ Good day.” 

He had never bought but one bill of the other dry goods 
house, and did not like their travehng man ; but now he 
would have bought of Old Hick rather than buy of Luce. 
He went over to Keeler’s and again introduced himself (the 
task was getting as disagreeable as it was monotonous), say- 
ing he wanted to buy some goods. The gentleman made an 
excuse to go to the desk for a moment, and Solomon knew 
it was to consult the reference book as to his standing ; hav- 
ing found that satisfactory he proceeded to show him 
through the stock. The goods were not nearly so much to 
his taste as was Luce’s stock, but he bought lightly, and con- 
sidered that he was punishing Luce. 

After dinner he called again at the hardware store, and 
this time found Mr. Braun there. He was greeted cordially 
when he gave his name, but imagine his feelings when, after 
a few remarks, Braun said : “ What’s the matter with you 
people down at North Portage about axes ? We wrote you 
that four of the last six you returned were in no way covered 
by warrants ; some were broken in solid steel, some were 
ground thin and had to bend, and one had never even been 
out of your store. We can’t ask any factory to take back 
such goods from us, it wouldn’t be right ; and we do not 
make enough profit on a dozen axes to stand such a loss.” 

If you give a warrant you ought to stand up to it.” 

“We do stand up to it, every time; and we do a good 
deal more than that. But you do not stand up to it. You 
take back goods not covered by a warrant and expect us to 
stand the loss.” 


62 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


“Well, if my customers bring them back I must take 
them or lose their trade.” 

“ That’s your business, not mine. I don’t care what you 
take back or do not take, but I object to your taking them 
back and then shifting all the burden over to us. We have 
charged your account with the cost of making these axes 
good.” 

“ Well, that’s the last time you’ll ever have a chance to do 
that.” 

“We can’t help that; right is right. It’s a small affair, 
but the thing has to stop some time, and it had better be 
stopped now.” 

Solomon pulled out his wallet, “ How much is my balance 
here ? ” 

Braun turned him over to the book-keeper, who took his 
money and gave him a receipt. As he walked out he did 
not hear the remark of Braun to the clerk : “ He’s one of 

those smart Alecks that have to be sat down on occasionally, 
but I guess I gave him a lesson.” 

He bought his hardware of another house ; he bought his 
groceries of a new firm ; he didn’t buy any boots and shoes 
at all, because the clerk did not take hold of him just right, 
and he reached home the next morning a tired, soured and 
disgusted man. He told his wife that he had been a fool to 
spend money when he might have stayed at home and bought 
of traveling men. “ I tell you,” said he, “ a man’s a mighty 
sight more independent when buying in his own store. The 
drummers are red hot for orders, and you can squeeze them 
down. Then you’ve got your stock to look at, and see costs, 
etc., and the men feel you’re doing them a favor to give them 
an order ; but, by George, the}^ think they’re doing you a 
favor to sell you in their own stores. I’m done going to 
town.” 

I saw Mr. Smart a few weeks ago, and he gave me his re- 
port of his trip : “ I learned something,” he added ; “I be- 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


53 


lieve I can make more money by having the wholesale houses 
my friends than I can by making them mad at me, and now 
we get along first rate. I guess Luce is one of the best 
friends Iwe got, but I was all-fired mad at him that time, I 
tell you. And what made me the hottest was that I felt 
the old man was right.” 


54 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTEE IX. 

A good hotel is a blessing, but the best hotel is still a hotel, 
and can be nothing more. One feels all right until the bell- 
boy has fixed the key in the door and gone. Then you be- 
gin to realize that you are alone. There’s but little difference, 
I imagine, in the feelings of a prisoner going into his cell at 
the close of day and those of a man in his lonely bed room in 
a hotel. There may be noises and voices, even songs and 
laughing, on either side of you, but these only serve to show 
you how lonesome you are. 

I dislike to go to my room until I am forced to do so by 
the hour. I want to be among people and to see them about 
me. I go to my room under protest ; I turn the key, fix the 
bolt, look at the window, open my valise, and wish I was at 
home. I think of fires, of sudden sickness, of to-morrow’s 
trade, of to-day’s orders, and of all the pros and cons of 
business. Through the night I hear scurrying feet in the 
hall, the late arrivals, the early risers, the bell-boy’s raps on 
the doors, and finally the chambermaid’s clatter, and her 
occasional turn on the knob, as a broad invitation to get up 
and out of the way that she may do her work. 

I started out in the morning at B , determined to do 

all in my power to make a good showing for myself. There 
is but one gun-store, but all the hardware dealers handled 
something in my line. It is a sleepy town. Time was when 
it had a large trade in the surrounding States, but of late it 
sells near home. A town of its size might and ought to 
support two or three good gun stores. I called on Bell & 
Co., gave the man who looked most like the buyer my card. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


55 


and proceeded to say a word or two about something else 
than business. 

“We have had some goods from your house,” said Mr. 
Bell, “but we never get our orders filled. There’s always 
something left out. I don’t like it. When I order an article 
I want it.” 

Our house had always made a specialty of filling orders 
complete, and I was surprised at what I had just heard. I 
remarked this, and that I was the stock-clerk, and that I 
feared he was visiting on our heads the sins of others. 

“No, I am not,” said he. “In the last bill we sent you 
there were two items left out and he found the bill and 
showed me our own memorandum regarding the items. To 
be sure they were goods we never kept in stock and never 
intended to. I explained this, but he took the ground that, 
in the first place, a house should keep everything in its line, 
and if they happened to be out of anything should buy it. 

I did not attempt to contradict him, for it’s a mighty poor 
time for that when you are hunting for an order, but I tried 
to change the conversation into some other channel. 

“ How is your stock of guns ? ” 

“Full. What do you ask for the Lafoucheaux, twist 
barrels ? ” 

“ Ten fifty.” 

“ Oh, you’re way out of reach.” 

It’s a pretty good plan not to disagree with a man at any 
time, but it’s especially a wise course about this time. 

“ I can buy them,” said he, “ at $9.” 

“ Yes ? That beats me ; $10.50 is best I can do. Who 
quotes at $9 ? ” 

“ Why, Keachum does. So does Try on’s man. Do you 
know him ? ” 

“ I do not.” 

“ He’s a lightning fellow ; well posted ; good natured 
sharp as a needle, and a mighty sight better than his house. 


56 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


If he was in business for himself I’d buy all my goods of him.” 

Yes, that was interesting; but I had other fish to fry. 

“ Do you need any Lafoucheaux guns ? ” 

“ Yes, if I can buy them right.” 

“ I will meet any price given you b}^ Keachum, Simmons, 
or Hibbard Spencer.” I didn’t want to ; I wanted to get 
better prices than they were quoting to their mail trade, but 
I proposed to make myself solid with him at once. 

“Well,” said he, “I’m waiting for Clayton. I rather 
promised him an order the last time he was here, and he’s to 
be here in a day or two.” 

If there’s one thing in the wide world that would make 
a man work for an order that is the kind of speech to do it. 
I had no grudge against Clayton, but I was bound to get 
that order or know why I couldn’t. I remarked that Clay- 
ton was a first-rate fellow. 

“Yes, he is; he’s quiet and modest, and knows his busi- 
ness ; if he only let up on his whistle he’d be perfect.” 

“ I didn’t know he was a whistler.” 

“ He is ; he’s always whistling under his breath as if he 
was trying to catch the extra on cartridges.” 

“ Are you handling the U. M. Co. cartridges ? ” 

“Yes; got them of Simmons. He offered to discount 
Keachum and I gave him the chance. What are you doing 
on cartridges ? ” 

“ 60 and 10.” 

This was cost, but I saw he had a good stock. 

“ What are you doing on Champion guns? ” 

“ 25 and 10.” 

“ And Zulus ? ” 

“ $2.40.” This was bottom on both these articles, and I 
would get my hair pulled if I sold at these prices, but I was 
in for it, and proposed to keep on. The partner came up to 
me and asked about revolvers, and very soon we were chat- 
ting about our line in detail. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


67 


If men really want goods, it is often dilRcult to get them 
to order. They have thought, like Bell, of waiting for a par- 
ticular man, or they fancy there may be advantage in delay, 
or they have no figures but yours and are not sure you are 
quoting bottom prices. There is a disinclination in all men 
to buy even in good times, and in these days there is almost 
a determination in every dealer’s heart that he will not order 
anything at any price, or under any circumstances. Of 
course, when a call comes for something he has not got he 
realizes that he has gone too far. 

I spread out my samjdes, talked my prettiest, sang the 
special praises of my goods, and finally heard the welcome 
words : “ You may send us,’' etc. When one gets that far, 

it is his own fault if he does not go on. Several times in 
our work we were interrupted, so that the forenoon was 
pretty well spent when I was through. It was the hour 
when many men go to lunch, and I fancied Mr. Bell to be a 
man who occasionally might enjoy a glass of beer, so I sug- 
gested that we go out. He assented, and led the way to the 
nearest place. 

What is there in the act of eating or drinking together 
that draws men nearer ? It surely does do this, but I don’t 
know why. In his store we were in the position of proprietor 
and drummer, at the beer table we were two sociable men. 

“ I do not often drink,” said he, ‘‘ and there are times 
when I feel provoked at being asked out. Some drummers 
throw out the invitation as if it was part of their samples, 
others as if they saw I was cross, and proposed to spend five 
cents in beer to make me good natured. I occasionally enjoy 
a glass of beer, and when I don’t feel like drinking it all 
Chicago couldn’t make me drink.” 

I remarked that I was pretty much in the same way. 

‘‘ I’ve known a good many traveling men who went to the 
dogs from too much treating,” said he. “ When I began 
business in ’65 one of the best salesmen out of Hew York 
6 


58 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


sold me my first stock. He was paid $5,000 a year, and was 
worth it. He went on a drunk here, but braced up in a day 
or two and went off all right. The last I heard of him he 
was dying in a hospital in Cincinnati of delirium tremens.” 

“ You must have known a good many men in your time ? ” 

“Yes, sir ; and knew a good many to go up, and a good 
many to go down. I was in the hardware trade then, and 
bought of Billy Smythe and John Milligan. Look at those 
boys now 1 Both of them in splendid positions. Poor Hank 
Woodbury, who sold me thousands of dollars from Sargents’, 
went insane and died. I remember a man dropping in one 
day who looked a good deal more like a school teacher than 
a salesman. His name was Bartlett and he was selling 
chisels. He didn’t know much about the goods, or about 
hardware, but be had a frank, open way of confessing his 
ignorance and his prices were all right. Do you know him ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ All the wholesalers know Bartlett ; he's getting shiny on 
the head, but he can talk Miller’s cutlery sweeter than the 
angels can sing. They tell me he’s grown rich and lives like 
a lord ; owns an island in Long Island Sound, and a yacht and 
other good things, but he’s the pleasantest man who comes 
here.” 

I like to hear about traveling men who have prospered ; 
they ought to get on in the world if any class of men can 
get on. There may be houses that are prosperous in spite of 
their salesmen, but such houses are very few. And the man 
who can make money for others ought to be able to do that 
for himself, but this does not always follow. I have met 
some traveling men who were once superior salesmen and 
then steadily ran down. Perhaps whisky is back of it, or, 
perhaps, circumstances are against them, but every business 
man will have known just such cases. Mr. Bell and I dis- 
cussed this until it was time to part, and then he said, 

“ Come in again, I may see something else.” I felt that 1 
had won his good will. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


69 


CHAPTER X. 

I left Mr. Bell, and went a square farther down the street 
to a hardware store, where our house had occasionally done 
some business. I was very familiar with the firm’s name, 
and had heard a great many stories of Mr. Harris, the buyer. 
There was an air of push and prosperity in the store, and 
when I inquired for the buyer I was shown into the office. 
There were two men at the desks, and a man lying on a 
lounge ; the latter proved to be the man I wanted. 

I don’t feel like doing any business just now,” said he, 
‘‘ come in after dinner.” 

This was pleasanter than to be told not to come in at all, 
so I made another call on the street, but did no business. 
As I took my place at the dinner table a man opposite me 
(we two were alone) nodded, and asked if I was selling hard- 
ware, saying he had seen me come out of Mr. Bell’s. I told 
him my business, and he gave me his card : Tibbals, of 
Meriden, Conn. I’ve seen many handsomer men than Tib- 
bals, but I have not often met one who was better company. 
He had been on the road, so he said, for twenty years, selling 
plated ware, and I expect “ Rogers Bro., 1847,” was tattooed 
all over him. 

“ Have you sold Harris ? ” he asked. 

“No, he told me to come in after dinner.” 

“ What a lazy fellow he is ! That man is the laziest one 
on my route. I took his order this morning while he lay on 
a lounge. I asked him if he was sick, and he said he was 
not, but he was tired. Great Scott ! just think of a man 
getting tired doing nothing.” 


60 


A MAN OF SAl^IPLES. 


I saw Tibbals liked to talk, so I led him on to more details 
about Harris. 

“ Some folks are lucky,” said he. “ When I came out here 
in ’65 Harris was a traveling man, but the next January he 
was given an interest. The house was old, rich, well known 
and well liked. They carried everything in stock from a 
bar of iron to a knitting-needle. Harris took the books and 
gradually got to be the buyer. He used to have some ambi- 
tion, but for the ten years last past he takes the world as 
easy as if he was a fat old dog.” 

“ Ho they still make money ?” 

Ho, I guess not. They don’t buy as they used to, and 
they are always grumbling. But other men have made lots 
of money here in these twenty years and didn’t have one- 
tenth the start Harris had.” 

‘‘ Hoes he drink ? ” 

Of course he does. Great Scott ! when did you ever see 
a lazy cuss that didn’t drink ? I’ve often gone over to the 
billiard -room and taken his order there. I believe, by 
thunder, he would leave a customer any time it a crony came 
for him to go off on a good time.” 

I do like to hear an old traveling man. If he has the in- 
clination he can give one lots of points. Tibbals went on : 
“ I ran across a man in Seebarger’s the other day that I used 
to know in Toledo and Cleveland. He was stock man twenty 
years ago and ten years ago, and is to-day. He’s a first-rate 
man ; solid, reliable, competent ; he seems to be content, and 
he used to seem content. But how, in the name of H. C. 
W ilcox, can a man be so satisfied with himself ? I don’t 
understand it. I should want to be going up or down ; I 
wouldn’t be a setting hen aU my life.” 

‘‘ You have seen many houses go up and down,” I said. 

Well, I have. I remember a Hetroit concern that in ’65 
had a nice, small trade, but each year seemed to be doing 
better, until I used to think they were about the sharpest set 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


61 


on my route. Business was always good, and the goose was 
away up. One of the partners built the nicest house in the 
city, and lived like a baron. But, by hokey, he’s on the road 
selling goods to-day, and another man lives in his nice house.” 
“ What brings them down ? ” 

‘'Big head, almost altogether. They get the big head; 
they fancy they are all Claflins or Stewarts, and they sud- 
denly drop through a hole. It’s almighty hard to be suc- 
cessful and not take to worshiping yourself. And the 
younger men fall into the trap easier than the old ones do or 
did. Take such a man as Wm. Bingham, of Cleveland; I 
don’t see any change in him in twenty years. Yet the house 
has grown to be a very large and very successful one. Did 
you ever know Tennis ? ” 

“No, I did not.” 

“ In ’65, Tennis & Son seemed to be the booming firm in 
hardware there. They were rich and had a big trade. The 
old man died, the boys ran through the business so fast that 
you couldn’t catch it with a gun. Oh, I’ve seen a good 
many fellows go under in twenty years.” 

“And you think it’s always their own fault ? ” 

“ Not always. I’ve seen some mighty good fellows go 
down. I remember a Toledo concern — good workers, good 
habits, living economically, but ’76 pinched them to the 
wall. I tell you it’s hard to see such men fail. It’s like 
death to them. They fight against it until it’s no use fight- 
ing longer, and it’s pitiful to meet them.” 

“ How is plated ware ? ” I asked, to be sociable. 

“ Like all other ware, mighty hard to sell. There’s several 
Rogers, all genuine, but I’m the head one. Our goods are 
the best known and the best, but if another ‘Rogers’ offers 
per cent, better, off goes my customer. Do you have 
folks so confounded close ? ” 

I assured him, laughingly, that I had. 

“Well,” said he, “it’s funny. I’m not so all-fired close 


62 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


when I buy a suit of clothes ; I don’t leave a man if he 
won’t throw in a pair of suspenders ; but dealers will go 
back on their best friend for a tooth-pick. I’d like to sell a 
line of goods like Chris. Morgan’s, where the price isn’t 
mentioned.” 

After dinner I called on Harris and found him scolding the 
boys in the store-room. I saw he was irritable, and would 
have gone out if I could, but he saw me and I had to advance. 

« D — n those Eastern fellows,” said he, vindictively, I’d 
like to wring their necks.” 

I had to appear interested and ask why. 

“ Because they’re such infernal fools. Here’s a case of 160 
pounds just in by express with $3.87 charges; could have 
come by Merchants Dispatch for 69 cents. But the fool 
clerks they have down there have the most insane idea about 
express, and every little while will shove something like this 
in on us.” 

“ Can’t you charge it back ? ” 

‘CD—dif I don’t!” 

He went into the office and ordered the book-keeper to 
charge up the difference. I could sympathize with him. As 
stock clerk I had seen many a box come in from the East by 
express that we were in no hurry for, and that was never 
ordered to be so sent. The parties doing most of this are 
not in New York stores, but at the factories. In the small 
towns where most factories are, express and freight bills are 
paid once a month in a lump, and the clerks and shippers do 
not see the cost of each shipment. This makes them careless 
as to such charges, and to receive or send a big box by express 
is a matter that does not need a second thought. But in the 
cities, where each package is paid for when delivered, the 
clerks soon learn how express charges count up, and they do 
not ship so carelessly. 

Perhaps I said something of this to Harris, but he finally 
turned to me sharply and said, “ What are you selling ? ” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


63 


I handed him my card again. 

“ Oh, yes ; well, we don’t need any.” 

Goodness ! How disappointed I was ! I guess I looked 
it, for he added, “ Unless you’ve got some d — d low prices.” 

I assured him I had, and made up my mind to give him 
only our ordinary figures ; I had heard our senior say once 
that the man who talked this wav was never a very close 
buyer. 

J ust at this moment a very pert young man came in at the 
office door, walked up to Harris, handed out his card in a 
way that pushed me to one side, and said : 

‘‘ Mr. Harris, we’ve got the best butcher-knife there is in 
the market.” 

“ Better than Wilson’s? ” 

‘‘ Yes, sir; better than anybody’s.” 

“ How does your price compare with Wilson’s ? ” 

“We are about the same.” 

“ Then I don’t want it. Wilson’s are good enough for 
me.” 

“ But I can show you ours is better.” 

“ I don’t want any better, unless it’s at less price. Wilson’s 
sell themselves.” 

The young man looked crestfallen and soon went his way. 
I took up my story, but instead of asking about this, that or 
the other article I handed him my price-list and asked him to 
look it through. He stretched himself on his lounge, and 
taking the book was about to open it, but stopped to ask, 
“ Have you got a cigar about you?” 


64 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTEK XL 

When I had given Mr. Harris a cigar and he had lit it, 
and when he had once more resumed his horizontal position 
on the lounge, I proceeded to take his order. He was an 
easy man to sell. The stock was low on some of my goods, 
and he had a favorable impression of my house, so he ordered 
easily, saying but little about prices until we came to cart- 
ridges. 

‘‘ Whose cartridges are you selling ? ” he asked sharply. 

“We handle both the U. M. C. and Winchester.” 

“ Xo Phoenix ?” 

“We don’t keep them in stock, but I can get them for you 
if you prefer them.” 

“ I won’t sell any other.” 

I was curious to know why. 

“ Just because I like Hulburt ; he’s one of the nicest men 
there is in New York, and Pm going to handle his cartridges 
every time.” 

“ But,” said I, and very cautiously, “ don’t you find some 
trade that will insist on having the other brands ? ” 

“Yes, and they can go somewhere else and get them. I 
wouldn’t buy a U. M. C. cartridge if there never was any 
other. Keachum uses their goods to cut prices with, and, 
d — n ’em ! they can sell him, but they can’t sell me.” 

I finished the bill, then chatted awhile with him about trade. 

“There’s no money in business,” said he; “times were 
when you could make a profit, but nowadays it is a struggle 
to see who can sell the lowest. There’s a revolver that I 
bought of Tryiton for 53 cents, and our men say he has ad- 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


65 


vertised it all over for 55 cents. How the devil am I to pay 
freight and sell for 2 cents profit? There is no such idiocy 
in any business to-day as in the gun trade. A jobber has to 
fight against every other jobber and the manufacturers too. 
The U. M. C. folks are said to back up Reachum, and 
Simmons is supposed to have Winchester behind him, and 
away they go, seeing who can cut the most and be the 
biggest fool.” 

‘‘ But is it not so in other lines? ” 

“ Ho ; the prices are not advertised to any such extent as 
with guns and ammunition.” 

Then you think the factories could stop it if they chose ? ” 

“ Oh, the factories be d — d ! Seven-eighths of the fac- 
tories are managed by school-masters. They get up their 
little schedule of prices just as they draw off their ‘ rules 
and regulations ’ for their help, and expect the dealers of the 
country to dance to their tunes.” 

I thanked him for his kindness and went on my way very 
well content. But when I sat down to copy off the order I was 
put in quite a quandary. Traveling men meet such men as 
Harris frequently. He gave the order because he was 
friendly to the house, but he had not asked for prices on any- 
thing. What was I to do ? I had several prices, for my 
figures were elastic, to offer trade, according as the buyer was 
a close one or not, and just where to put Harris I did not 
know. I proposed to ask him all I dared and not get into 
trouble, but to decide on what this limit was gave me some 
study. 

Tlie other trade in the city I attended to carefully, and was 
well satisfied with my work. In the evening I started for 
C. As I went into the car there were three men at one end 
talking rather loud and sociably, and I went as near to them 
as I dared. One of them had lately been out to Denver and 
that section, and was describing to his audience the won- 
derful perpendicular railroads of Colorado. I soon found 


66 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


that all three were connected with boots and shoes, but 
handling- different grades or styles, so they did not conflict. 
Of course they were from Boston, and equally of course they 
were rather priggish. The talker was not more than 22 or 
23 years old, but the immense experience he had passed 
through was more than wonderful, and the old chestnuts 
he got off as having happened to himself were beyond Eli 
Perkins’ power of adaptation. 

‘‘I had a customer in Peoria,” I heard him say, “who 
picked up a goat shoe and said ' he supposed dat was apout 
tree sefenty-fife.’ I told him it was $5.25. ‘ O, tear, tear,’ 

said he, ‘ can’t you make him four tollar ? Shake dells me : 
Fader, ton’t you puy ofer four tollar. You should see my 
Shake ; he is only dwendy-dwo, but he got a young head on 
old shoulters.’ I told him that, seeing it was he, I would 
make the price $5, and he ordered twenty-four pairs.” 

He told this as if it was the most comical story ever heard, 
and he laughed both long and loud over it, as did his two 
friends. 

“ When are you going home? ” one asked him. 

“ Next week ; been out over two months ; had a big trip, 
but I don’t expect to do any more traveling.” 

“ No ! Why not ? ” 

“ Pm going to be married.” 

“ No ! Who to ? Are you telling the truth ? ” 

“Yes, I am ; honest ; going to marry the boss’s daughter. 
She and I used to go to school together, and I honestly 
believe she made the advances to me, rather than I to her. 
Oh, yes ; Pm all fixed ; going to stay in the office and help 
the boss.” 

I wondered what kind of a girl the “ boss’s ” daughter could 
be, to marry such an ass as this, and I would have been glad 
to see the photograph of her that he passed to his friends, 
but I made up my mind that the “ boss” was getting a rare 
prize in a son-in-law. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


67 


Sitting in the smoking room of the hotel that evening I 
heard some men mention names that were familiar to me, and 
I discovered the talker to be a groceryman. 

‘‘ If our goods are close,” said he, “ the sales are large and 
folks have to buy. I heard H. K. Thurber say that the best 
year’s business that he ever did was on a net profit of If per 
cent.” 

“Phew ! How much did he sell ? ” 

“ Eighteen or twenty millions.” 

“ I’ve been in Thurber’s store,” said another, “ and I tell 
you they have things down fine. I think H. K. Thurber had 
the best head on him of any man I ever saw. He was quick 
as lightning ; his judgment was good ; he had no soft spot 
for any one, and he didn’t tell his plans to any one. But 
Frank, his brother,, seems to be just as successful, and yet is 
very different.” 

“ He’s the politician, isn’t he ? ” 

“ Yes ; he was a Greenbacker, and anti-monopoly, and lots 
of other things. Some of these days he’ll be Mayor of Hew 
York, or go to Congress, and he’ll be heard from. His public 
life is profitable now, for it helps to advertise Thurber’s 
business.” 

“ Well,” said another, “ You’ve got to get up mighty early 
to get ahead of Hoyt in Chicago. They don’t sell as many 
dollars, perhaps, as Thurber, but they have sand, and they 
don’t put it in their sugar, either.” 

“I like groceries. A dealer has to buy them, whether 
times are good or bad. Folks must eat.” 

“ And take medicine ? ” 

“ Yes, and take medicine. And, by the way, do you know 
that the grocers are giving druggists a lively time on medi- 
cines? They are. Thurber has a drug department, and 
advertises them at ‘ a grocer’s profit.’ Lots of others have 
gone in, and the day will soon be here when a man can buy 
his sugar and quinine in the same place.” 


68 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


What will druggists do ? ” 

“ What have they been doing the last ten years ? Sell teas 
and coffees, cigars and tobaccos, and fancy goods. Look at 
a drug store in holidays, and it is full of plush cases, placques, 
bronzes, and goods that were supposed to belong to jewelers. 
The bars are dropping down in every line.” 

“ Business is done in queer ways,” said a man who was 
sitting near me. Tobacco men give away guns in order to 
sell their tobacco ; coffee is sold by giving plated ware, baking 
powder by glassware, boots and shoes by giving dolls and 
sleds, ready-made clothing by a prize of a Water bury watch, 
and soap by giving jewelry. Nowadays a dealer don’t ask 
you about the quality of your goods, but about the scheme 
you’ve got to sell them. It’s a demoralizing way of doing 
business, and ruining trade.” 

‘‘ That’s so ! That’s so ! ” was echoed from all sides. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


69 


CHAPTER XIL 

Stepping into a hardware store early the next morning, 
after introducing myself I was handed a letter sent to me in 
the care of the firm. I was very glad to receive it, and 
accepted the pleasantly given invitation to sit down and 
read it. 

ISTo man should greet a letter with more welcome than a 
traveling salesman. It is a tie that connects him with home, 
he who is so wholly disconnected. He is always won- 
dering what his house may think of this sale, or that price, 
or this failure to sell, and be he never so sure that he has 
done well, still the assurance from home that they recognize 
his success makes him happier. 

Houses differ much in their manner of writing to their 
traveling men. A friend of mine who lately made a change 
told me his principal reason for leaving the old house was 
the letters they wrote him. “ I never cut a price in the 
world, unless I had to do it to meet a competitor ; but if I 
did it, no matter for what cause, I was sure to be reminded 
that I had not been sent out to ‘ cut,’ but to make money. 
Yet when I came home and explained why I did it, I was 
told I had done the right thing. But they nagged me the 
next trip just the same, and I grew tired of it.” 

I did not find any such letter as that. It was a hearty 
commendation of my work and braced me up for the future. 
‘‘We miss you in the stock,” the letter read ; “but we can^ 
put up with all that while you do so well on the road.” 

I spoke of this to a traveling man. “ Well,” said he, “ I 
scarcely ever hear from my house from one end of the trip 


70 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


to the other. Our goods don’t vary in price very much, and 
I’m not much of a hand at writing letters. I send in my 
orders when I’ve any to send, and when I’ve none I save 
postage. But I know men who have a printed form, and 
they have to fill one out and send home every night, orders 
or no orders. That’s too much like being a sleeping-car 
conductor for me.” 

After reading my letter I turned to Mr. Shively with 
determination to sell him a good bill. But I saw he had a 
customer, and kept out of the way, but not too far to hear 
the conversation. 

“ That,” said Shively, ‘‘ is a better gun than the ordinary 
Lafoucheaux — a good deal better. I know you can buy of 
Keachum and Shiverhim & Gaily for $7.65, but there is all 
of $2 difference in the goods, and the man who should appre- 
ciate this the quickest is the retailer.” 

“ But I can’t get .a cent more for this gun than for the 
others ; buyers will not discriminate.” 

“ You give them no opportunity. You take it for granted 
that they will go to the lowest-priced places, so you insist 
upon buying the lowest-priced goods, but I teU you, Mr. 
Thompson, you are making a mistake. A certain pro- 
portion of every community runs after the lowest prices ; a 
large majority seek good value for their money, and a small 
percentage, who are fools, buy only high-priced goods. Then 
again, a share only of the trade will come to you or me. Our 
competitors, no matter how mean they may be, wiU have 
their own friends, and, try as we may, we can only draw a 
certain share of the trade.” 

“ That’s so.” 

“ Of course it is so. And the dealer who looks these things 
squarely in the face and acts accordingly is the one who 
succeeds. I remember when I was younger I expected to 
do all the business in my fine here. There was a run on 
Parker’s gun. The list price was $50 ; they cost us $37.50. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


71 


Every one was asking the list, but making a small cut if 
necessary. I had a fair trade in them, but I concluded I 
would do more, so I advertised the price $45. This did not 
accomplish what I expected, so I came down to $42.50, and 
jfinally to $40. 1 sold a few more guns than I otherwise 

would have done, but I did not make one dollar more of 
gross profit. In order to attract a few extra buyers I had 
been cutting down prices to men who would have bought of 
me, whether or no, and I stopped it.” 

“ I remember my first Parker gun,” said Thompson ; ‘‘ I 
called a man into my store to look at it, one who talked as 
if he knew all that was worth knowing about guns. He 
opened it, looked through it, sighted it, etc., then asked the 
price. I quoted $50. ‘ That settles it,’ says he, ‘ I wouldn’t 

have it ; a good gun can’t be bought for any such money,’ 
and he dropped it as if it was a hot brick. The next time I 
showed it I asked $75, and I sold it at $65.” 

‘‘Yes,” said Shively, “ the fools still live ; I’m one of ’em. 
I suppose I do things just as bad as that every day, but I 
don’t do it knowingly. Here’s this craze over Smith & 
Wesson’s revolvers. A man, for some good reason of his 
own, wants a revolver in the house. He hopes he shall never 
have to shoot with it, but for fear he may need one he buys 
it. The chances are ninety-nine in one hundred that he has 
never been a marksman, or if he was he is so much out of 
practice that he could not hit a door off-hand, and with his 
nerves steady. I show him a good revolver at $2.50, or a 
double-action bull-dog at $3. But he asks, ‘ Have you Smith 
& Wesson’s?’ Of course I have; single action, $9.35; 
double-action, $10.35. I explain that the cheap one is as 
safe to the shooter as this is ; that the chances are not one 
in a hundred that a man can jump out of bed excitedly and 
hit a burglar off-hand ; that no burglar, hearing a shot, waits 
to be informed whose make of revolver is used, and that 
practically the cheaper pistol is the most sensible for him to 


72 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


buy. But he has a foolish idea that he is going to be a much 
more formidable fellow with a Smith & Wesson under his 
head, and he takes that. And because of just such idiotic 
men Smith & Wesson can ask a big price for their goods.” 

I was much interested in that talk, and sorry when the two 
men separated. But I was there to sell Shively some goods, 
and I went at it right heartily. 

“ I am rather tired of the gun business,” said he, “ and 
would drop that branch quite willingly. It is being managed 
on the basis of brag rather than that of brains. Any fool 
can sell a revolver at 92 cents that cost him 90, or a gun for 
$7.50 that cost him $7. JSTo brains are required to do that. 
The poorest salesman I have on the road sells the most goods 
and makes me the least money. The gun business has got into 
the hands of men who have just brains enough to run a ten- 
cent counter store.” 

“ Is it not about as bad in other lines ?” I asked. 

“ Ho, not quite. There is much more detail to other lines. • 
The gun business is compact and the line small.. Consumers 
pick up names of makers quicker, and post themselves easier. 
A man buys a pistol or gun but once or twice in his life, and 
he gives the matter considerable study and shops around a 
good deal. Fifteen years ago Kittridge of Cincinnati used 
to be the champion cutter, but either he is out of business or 
has changed his tactics ; now St. Louis and Chicago have 
gone into the postal card business and struck the ‘ Me Big 
Injun ! ’ attitude. Here is a card one of my men sent in from 
a little town to-day. Shot quoted 80 bags $1.16 ! The man. 
can’t buy 80 bags in 80 months, and the house sending the 
card to him knows it, but it gives him a basis to work on us, 
and hurts us without helping anyone.” 

“Yet you buy of these card men ? ” 

“ Ho, I don’t, d — n them ; I’d shut up shop sooner. There 
is no reason in the world for wholesale gun stores ; the busi- 
ness ought to be handled by the wholesale hardware trade, 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


73 


and ought to be done in a legitimate way on a legitimate 
profit. But some idiotic manufacturer, either being hard up 
for money, or envious of a competitor, goes to one of these 
gun houses and offers a special cut price, and within twenty- 
four hours every little cross-roads dealer is advised of the cut.” 

“ I heard a man swearing just about the same way about 
screws,” I said. 

Screws ? Oh, yes ; that’s so. Screws have been about 
as mean. One factory used the hardware trade of the country 
to club a competitor, and thousands of dollars of values were 
wiped out in the operation. I had, say $1,000 worth of 
screws, bought at 75 percent, off. Kussell & Erwin wanted 
to hurt the American, so down went screws to 80. That 
didn’t settle the business, and next they went to 90 off. 
What was worth $1,000 at 75 off was worth but $400 now. 
And this cut was advertised everywhere, so that retailers 
insisted on getting it. The orders as sent in were not filled, 
and retailers’ orders on us were much larger than before. 
By and by we had no stock, and then, without any reason 
other than their own sweet will, prices went up again. It was 
a most outrageous piece of business from beginning to end.” 

“ I am glad all the bad work is not done in guns,” said I, 
“ but how is your stock ? I think bull-dogs are going to 
advance.” 

‘‘I suppose they are ; look at this letter.” 

He handed me a letter from a Hew York bouse which read : 

New Yoek, , 188 — . 

Messrs. Ehodes & Shively — Gentlemen : I have entered your order for 
100 “Blank”Bull-Dogs at $2.85, prices guaranteed. Please send on speci- 
fications. A combination is about to be formed among the manufactur- 
ers, and prices will advance to $3.25. Yours respectfully, 

F. B. COMEAWAY. 

This was news to me, so I opened the letter I had just 
received from home and read to him : 

We have just got in a large lot of ‘ Blank’ bull-dogs and 
you may cut prices to $2.65.” 

6 


74 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


“ Well,’’ said he, “ what the devil does this man mean by 
sending me such a letter ? ” 

“He undoubtedly believed there was going to be an 
advance and booked you for 100 revolvers.” 

“ What is your price on cartridges ? ” 

“ Fifty-nine per cent.” 

“There is another smart combination. The cartridge 
association puts my competitor in the A class and gives him 
60 and 10 off, but we, who have to sell in the same town and 
to the same men, can only get 60. It’s the most childish and 
sickly combination that I ever saw. Manufacturers seem to 
sit up nights to see what infernal fools they can make of 
themselves. How I tell you there are only two classes of 
dealers — wholesalers and retailers. If a man is a wholesaler 
he should have wholesaler’s prices, and if he isn’t he 
shouldn’t. But your smart Aleck manufacturers want to 
rate them, as Bradstreet does, and give 12^ off to the A 
class, 10 off to B, 7i to C, 6 to D, and list to E.” 

“ But a man who buys 1,000 dozen axes ought to buy for 
less than he who buys but 100 dozen ? ” 

“ Hot a bit of it. If both men sell at wholesale they ought 
to be on one level, otherwise the smaller buyer can not hope 
to succeed. And I tell you it is much more to the interest 
of manufacturers that there should be six small houses in a 
town than one extra large house. Your large buyer is auto- 
cratic ; he can break the market, and often does it to his 
own hurt, as well as to the damage of every one else. The 
average buyer is content to buy as low as his competitor, or 
if he gets a little inside price, keeps it to hiipself, lest his 
competitor shall know it.” 

“ You seem to have figured it out pretty thoroughly.” 

“ I have, and I know what I’m talking about. But of all 
the silly things manufacturers do, they never get quite so 
absurd as when they undertake to advertise.” 

“ Please explain.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


75 


CHAPTEE XIIL 

“ I can explain what I mean by showing you this letter,” 
said Mr. Shively. Here is a line of goods I proposed to 
handle, and wrote the manufacturer for prices. He has ad- 
vertised them largely, but has not worked up a very large 
sale as yet, though he has succeeded in making them pretty 
well known. He writes me he will discount 35 and 5 per 
cent., and adds : ‘ Please do not quote or sell at better than 
30 and 5.’ What does he take me for ? The list is $12 ; 35 
and 5 off brings the net price to $7.41, and if I sold at 30 and 
5 off, I get $7.98, or 6 per cent, on the investment, and I pay 
freight out of that ! But this manufacturer thinks I am 
liable to cut under $7.98, so kindly cautions me against 
doing it. He must have a mighty queer idea of a merchant’s 
profits.” 

‘‘ What would you do if you were in the manufacturer’s 
place, to begin with ? ” I asked. 

“ First decide on a fair retail price. Every article must 
first be judged on this basis. It is not ‘ What will the jobber 
pay for this ?’ that decides the cost of goods, but ‘ What 
will this retail at ?’ Having decided this, then settle on a 
discount from this price that will pay the retailer a fair 
profit, and in quoting prices to the retail trade stick pretty 
close to this. Then the jobber should have a margin of 15 
per cent, at least, and yet be able to sell retailers at my price.” 

“ But suppose the goods will not allow all this.” 

“ They must allow it if they are to be handled by the 
trade in a regular way, and they will always allow it if pro- 
portioned aright ; but what I complain of is that so many 


76 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


manufacturers are unable to comprehend the jobber’s posi- 
tion. Here is a sheep-shear that is advertised to consumers 
at $1.25 per pair ; the maker says the lowest he can sell at 
and make a small margin is $8 per dozen. There is a good 
margin between $8, factory price, and $15, consumer’s price, 
but how is it divided ? A retailer is quoted the goods at 
$8.65 and the jobber at $8. Don’t you see that common 
sense would say $10 to the retailer and $8 to the jobber? 
If the jobber wants to sell at less than $10 let him do so (he 
is sure to do it), but the manufacturer should not.” 

Some houses ignore the jobbers altogether ; what would 
you do with them? ” 

“They are all right; I have no fault to find with them; 
I can meet all of such competition, and wdthout worrying. 
Ho factory can handle my trade so cheaply as I can. A 
great deal of my trade no factory can reach. Salesmen get 
higher salaries from the factories than we pay. They only 
get the trade they drum ; there is very little of mail orders 
from the small trade sent East ; what they need they want 
quickly. Both Kussell & Erwin and Sargent & Co. have 
drummed the retail trade for 3^ears, but they have done job- 
bers no harm, and of late are very anxious to get the jobbing 
trade. I don’t fear the drummers from the factories, but I 
do dread the low quotations they scatter around, because I 
must meet their figures.” 

Mr. Shively seemed pleased at having a good listener, and 
had talked as if enjoying himself. While I was very much 
interested in his views, still it is probable 1 should have 
acted just the same even if I had cared nothing about what 
he said. Ho higher compliment is paid to a man than to 
place him over you as your teacher. 1 left him after getting 
a fair order from him, and passed into a large retail store. 

That undefined line between the large retailer and the 
small jobber is a delicate one on which to tread. It is rarely 
that a retailer will buy of his home jobbers. Every jobber 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


77 


will sell more or less at retail ; will tread on the toes of his 
retail neighbor, and the latter has a special desire to buy as 
low as the jobber does. Much of his stock is bought at such 
prices ; on a large part he is assured by the salesman that he 
is getting as good prices as the largest jobber in the land. 
If one is not direct from headquarters it is doubtful ground 
to walk on, but it has to be taken care of. 

I handed my card to the man whose face seemed to me to 
show authority and ownership, and I was not mistaken. 

‘‘ Guns !” said he, ‘‘ we don’t handle guns.” 

“ But you do revolvers and cartridges.” I bad seen them 
in the show-case. 

Yes, but we don’t sell them. The jobbing houses are re- 
tailing at wholesale prices, and we poor retailers stand no 
chance.” 

‘‘ You must retail at wholesale prices, too. You can buy 
about as close as they do, and you can do retail business as 
cheaply as they can.” 

“Yes, but don’t you see, no matter what our prices are 
they are retail prices, and for the same reason their’s are 
wholesale ; the idiotic public loves to be fooled, and will fool 
itself if no one else takes the job. What are cartridges 
worth ? ” 

“ Two dollars and ten cents per 1,000 for 22s.” 

“ Why, I can buy here in town for that ! ” 

“ I presume you can ; we make no money on cartridges ; 
neither do the jobbers here or anywhere else.” 

“ Well, if you can’t beat the houses here, how do you ex- 
pect to sell goods ? ” 

“ Oh, cartridges are but one item in a very long list, and, 
profit or no profit, people must have them.” 

I always expect a retailer to tell me that I must beat his 
home jobber, or he will not buy of me. But 1 know that 
this is not often true. He will not buy of the home jobbers 
at the same price, for he feels that he is building up his com- 


78 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


petitor. I have seen a great many jobbers who had spent 
time and money trying to get control of all the trade 
in their own city, but I never saw one who did not finally 
give up in disgust. It is not human nature to be willing to 
help build up a man who is in any way your competitor, and 
often you would rather pay a trifle more elsewhere than buy 
of him. This may not be “ business,” but it is human nature, 
and there are many places where the latter is by far the 
stronger. 

I undid my sample roll and showed my revolver samples 
to Mr. R. Almost every revolver reminded him of some- 
thing, and I listened to his stories with the interest of a man 
who wanted an order. 

There is no trade in the world so mean as this,” said he. 
“ People come in here for a revolver, and I am almost sure 
they mean mischief with it. What am I to do ? My refusal 
to sell one will not prevent their getting it, yet I hate to sell 
to them. Of course a large majority of those I sell are sold 
to people whom I know, and I know they buy them for 
proper use. But a woman will slip in here and slyly ask for 
a revolver, and I am wondering if she is going to commit 
murder or suicide. Many a time a man looks so woe begone 
as he buys a pistol that I make some excuse to keep him 
from loading it here for fear he will blow out his brains 
right in the store.” 

“ Did anything like that ever happen with you ? ” 

“ No, not with me, but it has happened. I read of a man 
going into a gun store, buying a revolver, asking the clerk 
to load it (doing it all calmly), and then placing it at his 
temple and falling down dead. I believe I would go crazy 
if such a thing were to happen in my store, and I always 
worry more or less for fear it may. It’s a mean business at 
the best ; I wish there were no revolvers made. What do 
you get for this ? ” 

Two eighty-five.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


Y9 

“Well, send us six.” 

1 sold him a fair bill, and then spent the afternoon trying 
to sell two other large retailers, but without success. One 
of the men was snappish, the other good-natured but full of 
goods. I did want, very badly, to get a little order out of 
them, but when I went to supper I had nothing from them. 
After supper I went down to the cross-grained man’s store 
determined to get so well acquainted with him that I could 
meet him again under different auspices. 

He looked at me as if he expected to be pestered in some 
new spot, but I put him at rest by saying I had a little time 
to lounge and thought I could do it there. At this he 
dropped some of his frowns and began to be sociable. We 
talked until I was sure it was long after his shutting-up time, 
so I bade him good night, saying I was going off in the 
night. 

“ Don’t you ever drink a glass of beer or wine ?” he asked. 

“ Try me ! ” 

“ All right ; let us lock up and go down the street a block.” 


80 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTER Xiy. 

I think a merchant who does not want to buy usually 
feels uneasy to have a traveling man about the store. He 
keeps up all the barriers that he can, so that he shall not be 
led farther than he intends to go. If he becomes very 
friendly it may be all the harder for him to say “ no ” by and 
by, so he keeps up an uncomfortable stiffness and is glad to 
see the salesman go. I have seen this, or thought I saw it, 
often and often in my own case. I could not get the dealer 
to be friendly with me while I was in his store, but perhaps 
I met him in the hotel and found him cordial and sociable. 

The retail dealer who had invited me to take a glass of 
beer with him had been rather stiff in his own store, but the 
moment he turned the key in the lock he seemed to throw 
away his coldness and became very talkative. We sat down 
at a table and our beer was brought. 

I doubt if any traveling man ever became a drunkard, be- 
cause of the drinking necessar}^ to be done among his cus- 
tomers. A little of it appears to be really necessary. But 
this little would lead no one to excess. The men who drink 
to excess are those who patronize bars with other traveling 
men, and who drink alone. The temptation is great. Every 
hotel has its bar ; all introductions and intimacies have to be 
sealed with a drink, and the man who does not feel bright, 
or fancies he does not, has a row of bright bottles beckoning 
to him to brace up ” with a glass of their contents. 

I do not wonder that the pulpits and all thoughtful people 
cry out against the drinking of liquor. Every traveling 
man’s experience, the tales he could tell of the financial and 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


81 


moral ruin of men from drinking, and men who are usually 
the most intelligent and who ought to be the most influen- 
tial, are all in the line of the injunction to taste not the 
accursed stuff. I say this after years of experience ; I felt it 
on my first trip, but I was so anxious to ingratiate myself 
into the good graces of every man I wanted to sell to that I 
drank with customers when asked, and when it seemed wise 
invited them to indulge with me. 

Do you say that the foolishness of this was that I must 
continue it each trip and do more each time ? No, you are 
not correct. I had less occasion for it the next and each 
succeeding trip. I was able to meet the men on a different 
footing after the first trip, and I had but little use for liquor 
as an engine to help business. 

A man must needs, too, be very cautious in inviting men 
to indulge. If it is done in any way so that it appears to be 
to help make sales it will do more harm than good. A cer- 
tain class of traveling men will invite a merchant to go out 
and get a drink as if they were offering him a new paper 
collar, or to pay for his having his boots blacked. Their 
manner seems to say, I must buy you a drink and then I’m 
going to stick you on an order.” They disgust where they 
expected to please. 

Yet, as I have said before, men seem to come close together 
over a glass of beer. My friend had positively refused to 
buy a dollar’s worth from me, and I had put him down as 
rather a surly fellow, but as we sat there over our beer he 
chatted about himself, his business, and his partner, as if we 
were old friends. 

I have been seventeen years in trade,” said he, “ and we 
have been tolerably successful. I began with $1,500, and I 
suppose I am worth $35,000, but I work fourteen hours a 
day, and I have to carry all the responsibility on my shoul- 
ders. My partner waits on customers when he is in the 
store, but when he wants to go out driving or to go any- 


82 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


where else, he goes. I never let him do anything but he 
makes a bull. He contracted for advertising the other day, 
$300 worth, in a paper that will never do us three cents’ worth 
of good. We have the meanest kind of competition here ; 
every wholesale house retails, too, and retails a good many 
goods at wholesale prices. They buy in larger quantities than 
we do, and of course can buy cheaper, and they look upon 
their retail profit as so much clear gain. I am tired of the busi- 
ness, and if I could sell out I would get into the jobbing 
trade.” 

There it was. The man who wants to sell out is one of 
the most numerous men that exist. But it was my business 
then, and it has always been my business since, to listen 
sympathetically to all such tales, and to promise to have an 
eye out for any possible purchaser. 

“We don’t do much in your line,” he continued, “ because 
men don’t come to a stove store to buy revolvers, but if I 
don’t sell out I’m going to do some wholesaling, and see if I 
can’t eventually work up into wholesale exclusively.” 

This was a much more promising opening for me, and I 
led his fancy over a bed of roses to the not distant day when 
he might put up that fraudulent sign — “Ho goods at retail.” 
And I was reminded of a very cheap pistol that we had that 
I would sell him at 52 cents, which he could job to any 
country dealer at 75 cents. I don’t know if it was the beer 
or my eloquence, but I sold him fifty then and there, and 
added some other goods to the sale, so that my evening was 
not wholly wasted. 

I saw him not long ago. He is still retailing at the old 
stand and still grumbling about his partner, but we have 
been the best of friends since our first evening together. 

As I ate my breakfast the next morning I overheard two 
men at my table talk about trade, and I quietly listened. 

“ It only takes a little thing to help out a line of goods or 
to kill them,” said one. “ Himick & Brittan got out that 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


83 


burglar-proof attachment on their locks and just kept them- 
selves going by it.” 

“ Is Brittan on the road now ? ” 

“ Guess not. The Big Three, Brittan, Rashgo, and Bond, 
work some kind of a syndicate, though, and make a good 
thing out of it. I met Brittan twenty years ago or so. He was 
a hard worker, good-natured, understood human nature and 
was a success. He represented several concerns, and used to 
make ten or twelve thousand clear a year. Finally he got 
into the lock factory.” 

“ Most traveling men are crazy to get into something.” 

“ Yes; that’s so. We think if we had a shebang of our 
own we’d just make things fly ; but we miss it oftener than 
we hit it when we do get the factory.” 

^‘You’re right. The man on the road with a good trade 
and a good salary has a pretty good thing of it.” 

“Well, some men expect to strike it rich by silver stock. 
Do you know A1 Bevins ? ” 

“ The sleigh-bell man ? Yes, I know him well.” 

“ Has he told you about the silver stock ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ He has been investing in Deming’s — ” 

“ Oh, d — n Deming ! He’s a nuisance with his silver stock.” 

“ Yes, but he gets the boys in all the same. Henley has 
bought a lot in Providence on the strength of his invest- 
ment, and Deacon Hall, of Wallingford, will buy out Wal- 
lace when his dividends come in. Bevins says it’s better 
than sleigh-bells, and A1 knows how to run a factory.” 

“ Still, some of the men at the factories are born idiots. 
You can’t teach them anything. If the managers were com- 
pelled to make one trip a year they’d find out a good deal. 
Here’s my ax trade. I’ve been cussed from one end of the 
trip to the other. My orders for October shipment were 
billed about January 1. And it’s the same way year after 
year. I swear, I often wonder that I get any orders at all ! 


84 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


They damn me in February, and yet they give me new 
orders in May. But it is sickening to hear the same story 
over and over, year after year.” 

‘‘ What excuse do they offer at home ? ” 

“ Oh, it’s never two years alike. One year the streams 
dry up ; then the foreman is discharged ; then they booked 
too many orders.” 

“ A little thing happened that riled me when I was last 
home. A customer ordered a certain spoon, using a special 
number of his own, on the 18th of May. I was in the shop 
late in June, and the shipping clerk asked me what spoon 
that was ! Here he had held the order six weeks before he 
took steps to find out what the man wanted. I gave him 
a piece of my mind.” 

“ Talking of spoons, do you ever run across Kendrick, of 
Mix & Co.? I traveled with him a few years ago.” 

“He sticks close to the factory. There is an instance 
where the traveling man took the management of the fac- 
tory to good purpose. I don’t believe there is a better- 
managed business anywhere. Kendrick has become a dea- 
con in the church, with a weather eye out for fast horses.” 

“ Talking of spoons reminds me of Father Parmelee, of 
Wallingford. Do you know him? ” 

“Who, Sam? Yes, indeed.” 

“We were in Detroit together, and the way Parmelee 
talked William Rogers was enough to drive a man crazy. 
He’s just chock full of William Rogers, and Pll bet he’ll want 
Rogers on his plated grave-stone.” 

“ Parmelee is one of the kindest-hearted men on the road. 
I never heard him say a bitter word against any one ; I never 
knew him to bore any one ; I never heard a merchant speak 
other than kindly of him. He travels for a big house, but 
they probably do not know how much of their business in 
the West is due to Parmelee’s push and tact. He has been a 
long time traveling, and I always like to meet him.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


85 


When the two men went away I ruminated over what 
they had said, and I laid up several points for my own use. 
I was especially glad to hear them praise other traveling 
men. It’s a mighty good sign of any man to find him gen- 
erous in his praise of others. I thought this all over as I 
started down the street to find Shull & Cox and try to sell 
them 100 bull-dogs. I caught their sign and marched boldly 
in, wishing there was a law on the books that would compel 
every dealer to give a salesman an order whether he needed 
goods or not. 

A young clerk was at work near the door, so I asked if the 
buyer was in. 

“ That’s him over there with that drummer.” 

“ Is it Mr. Shull or Mr. Cox ? ” 

“ That’s Shull ; Cox won’t be here for an hour yet ; he 
don’t get up till the school bell rings.” 

I saw the young man was talkative, so I prodded for more 
information. “ Who is that drummer ? ” 

“ I don’t know his name ; he’s selling revolvers from More 
& Less, of Hew York.” 

This was fun for me, and I wished I was out of the way, 
and out of the town. I concluded that the best thing I could 
do would be to interview some one else immediately, and I 
started off at once. 


86 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTEE XY. 

I think a man often does better work when he is spurred 
on by anxiety. I had seen More & Less’s man in the store 
across the street, so I determined I would do my best at 
Bingham’s and not get whipped out of the town. Mr. Bing- 
ham met me as if he wished I was somewhere else, but I 
was too eager to sell to care very much about his manner. 
I told him my story as well as I could, and insisted that if 
he needed anything in my line I could do him good. 

I don’t need anything,” said he, “ but what is all this 
talk of the M. H. & Co. revolver ? ” 

‘‘ It is coming into prominence,” I said, “ and Jim Merwin 
gave it a big boom in Cleveland the other day. McIntosh 
took him before the Police Board, and they say Merwin 
outdid Buffalo Bill. McIntosh says the Chief of Police 
took a Smith & Wesson, and Merwin a M. H. & Co., and 
each tried to shoot the other with empty shells. Jim grab- 
bed the Chief, emptied his revolver of the shells and rammed 
the pistol in his ear until the Chief yelled for mercy. Mer- 
win gave such a war dance that they had to call out the fire 
department to cool him down. He secured the city’s order 
for an outfit for the police, and M. H. & Co. stock has gone 
up since then.” 

‘‘ Do you sell them ? ” 

‘‘ Yes, at factory prices.’^ 

‘‘ Pho ! All you men talk factory prices.” 

“ I mean factory prices.” 

“Well,” said he, “ Pm going to buy of Simmons after this ; 
he beats the factories. His Hew England man — ” 

“ His what ? ” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 87 

“ His New England man. Didn’t you know he had opened 
a Boston ofiSce and now drums New England?” 

‘‘ I hadn’t heard of that.” 

‘‘ Oh, yes. St. Louis is going to run the country on hard- 
ware hereafter and on guns. Simmons’ New England man 
says they do a big business there ; dealers buy bills of $8.87 
down. Their New York office isn’t open yet, but it’s 
coming ; they want Sam Haines as manager, or J. B. Sar- 
gent. They do things up big down there.” 

“ How many M. & H. revolvers can I send you ? ” 

“Don’t want any now; just asked out of curiosity.” 

This was discouraging, but I opened my price-book at A, 
and called his attention to every item in it, but to everything 
received the same answer, “ Got it.” I began to get des- 
perate. 

“ Look here,” said Bingham, “ you seem to be excited, 
young man. I like to see a man work, but if a fellow don’t 
want anything, he don’t, and that’s the end of it. I never 
bought a dollar from your house, and your prices are no bet- 
ter than others.” 

But I wanted an order. Whether he needed goods or not 
was no concern of mine ; I wanted an order and I was deter- 
mined to get one if such a thing were possible. Finally I 
struck Flobert rifles. “ Look here,” 1 said, “ I have a special 
price on Flobert’s target rifles — $2.10 by the case — but I will 
give you a cut even on that ; I will make them $2, and now 
I want you to give me an order.” 

“ Two dollars,” he said, as if turning it over in his mind ; 
“ $2, eh ? I’ve a mind to go and see Madley with you.” 

“ Who is Madley ? ” 

“ He’s a clothing man, and chain lightning about offering 
gifts to purchasers. He has run cows, watches, pianos, and 
lager beer ; maybe he’d take hold of rifles.” 

“ Very well,” said I, “let’s us go see him. What price 
shall I quote him ? ” 


88 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


You needn’t do any quoting ; I’ll make prices and you 
expatiate on the goods.” 

We started down the street to Madley’s, and I was intro- 
duced to the gentleman, a fussy, garrulous little man with 
an extremely red face. Bingham opened the ball, and I 
never listened to more talented drumming than he did that 
morning. 

“ Chris,” said he, “ this young man is offering target rifles 
at a cut price that knocks anything ever known. The boys 
have been buying them very freely of late, and they are pop- 
ular. I fancied they might hit you as a gift with a boy’s 
suit. If you can handle them I don’t want any profit, but 
am getting other goods from him, and you can ship with my 
goods.” 

What are they worth ? ” 

‘‘ Well, you have as much of an idea of the worth of a rifle 
as any one else has ; suppose you were going to buy one for 
your boy, what would you expect to pay ? ” 

“I don’t know anything about them.” 

“ Oh, you’ve got some idea and I want to get it, for you 
will not be very different from the average man in your esti- 
mate of cost.” 

‘‘Oh, d n it, say $10.; but I can’t handle any such 

goods.” 

“ We don’t ask you to at $10. But that is about the aver- 
age idea regarding price. Now, Chris, this man’s price is 
$3.12.” 

It struck me this was getting mighty close to “ cost ! ” 

“ Eh, $3.12 ! How the devil can they make it at that ? ” 

“ Oh, they make it. How they do it is none of our con- 
cern. It would make you a very popular gift and the boys 
would go wild over it.” 

Madley turned to me. “ Is that your bottom price ? ” 

“ I gave Mr. Bingham my very best figures.” 

“ How many have you got ? ” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


89 


‘‘ Any amount you want.’’ 

He called two of his youn^ men, and after a conference 
with them came up to Bingham and said : “ Bingham, I can’t 
afford to let you make a profit on these riffes. You wouldn’t 
come up here if you were not making something. The idea 
is a good one, and yon may send your boy up and get the 
best suit of clothes I’ve got, but I’m going to figure on rifles 
before I order.” 

“ All right, Chris, go in.” He turned on his heel to go 
out, and I followed. When we were on the sidewalk he 
said : ‘‘I don’t give it up yet, but I can play bluff as well as 
he can.” 

“ You asked too much advance, I am afraid.” 

“ Oh, I know him. I’ll go for him by and by.” 

And he did. I called in the afternoon and took his order 
for 100 rifles, and he showed me a written order for them 
from Madley at $2.62. To these he added several other 
items, making a very nice bill. I have always noticed that, 
however much a man did not want any goods, the moment 
you get him started there is but little difficulty in then get- 
ting his order for some of the very things he told you he 
was not needing. 

During this time I had no fear of the other salesman. My 
prices were down so low I cared for no one, but I concluded 
I would go back to Mr. Shull’s, and see if anything was left 
for me there. He happened to be at work at the shelves, 
which is a place I like to find a man at, and I explained that 
I was in early in the day but saw he was engaged. 

Yes,” said he, “I had a gun man here all forenoon. He 
sold me all I needed in your line. He says bull-dogs are go- 
ing up.” 

‘‘ I had not heard of it.” 

“ What are you selling at ? ” 

What should I say ? If he had bought I didn’t care to 
quote a special price, and I did not want to name a high 
7 


90 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


price, for that might give him a bad impression of the house 
in the future. 

It is a difficult place in which a salesman finds himself, 
this quoting prices to a man who has just bought. The 
temptation is always to name a very low rate, perhaps even 
to go below your lowest selling price, for the purpose of 
making the man feel that you would have been a better man 
to buy from, but this is a two-edged sword, and I have not 
cared to handle it. I concluded it would pay here to be frank. 

“It is possible there is some advance of which I don’t 
know,” I said, “but my price has been $2.75 to $2.85, ac- 
cording to quantity.” 

“ That’s what I bought at.” 

I opened up on rifles, found him entirely out, and showed 
him my order from Bingham for 100. 

“ What in Sam Hill is he going to do with 100 ? ” 

I did not enlighten him. I said : “ Oh, every lad buys a 
target rifle nowadays.” 

“ What price do you get ? ” 

“ Two dollars and ten cents by the case.” 

“ Case ? How many’s a case ? ” 

“ Thirty-six.” 

“ I don’t want any case. If you want to send me a dozen 
at that you may.” 

I wanted to, and got his order for another item or two, 
and left him, feeling I had done pretty weU. 

This showing one merchant the order you have taken from 
his neighbor is one of the easiest things in the world to do, 
but it is not always a trump card. Still, it has a powerful in- 
fluence in a majority of cases. The best buyer who lives 
has times of doubting if his judgment is infallible, and he is 
glad to brace it up by comparing with the judgment of 
others. This he is able to do through having salesmen tell 
of the orders given by other buyers, and be he never so 
smart, he very often falls into their traps. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


91 


If you are a buyer you are, possibly, looking at a Kussell 
knife, listening to Booth’s eloquent description of the way 
they are hand forged, elegantly ground, and how Oakman 
inspects every blade and then wraps it up carefully in Ella 
Wheeler Wilcox’s last poem. The pattern you have in your 
hand pleases you, but you wonder how others will look at 
it. The question is not, “ Do I like it ? ” but, Will it sell ? ” 
You are inclined to think it will, but just then your eye falls 
on scores of patterns on your shelves that you thought would 
go like hot cakes, but they have disappointed you. Perhaps, 
after all, your best way is to wait ; but just then Booth opens 
his little book and shows you where Bartlett ordered 100 
gross ; Buhl, 50 gross ; Ducharme, 25 gross, and Blossom, 10 
gross (but he puts his thumb over this last hastily), and you 
tell him to send you a few. As I said before, I believe the 
best buyer is more or less influenced by being told what 
others are doing, and with the smaller trade it is constantly 
used to sway their decision. 

Is it right ? 

I do not know. I am not writing of the ethics of busi- 
ness. I know that traveling men use the order taken from 
one buyer to influence another, and that it often has great 
influence, although I think the buyer is not wise who acts 
upon such information. Even when he is told the strict 
truth regarding the orders given by others, he ought to 
know his own stock and trade so well that he could depend 
upon his own judgment. But most of us like to lean on 
some one else, and when we are hesitating and learn that 
our competitors have decided thus and so, it is easy to fall 
into line and buy as they did. 


92 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

Sitting at the breakfast table of the hotel next morning a 
gentleman opposite looked up pleasantly and asked : 

“ Are you selling goods, sir ? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ What line? ” 

‘‘ Guns and sporting goods.” 

“ Yes ? I’m a little in that line myself.” And he handed 
me his card. 

HOPSBY, COCKLEY & CO., 

20 Warren Street, 

New York City. 

“ My name is Cockley,” he added. 

I had heard of him often, and was very glad to meet him, 
though I would have been still happier if he were not selling 
the Norwich revolvers. I always had a feeling that I stood 
a poor show tvhen I was in direct competition with other 
salesmen in my line, and I never felt quite comfortable with 
them. 

“ How is trade ? ” I asked. 

“Well, rather dull on the road ; but they write me it is 
booming at home. We have a large South American trade 
that the elder Mr. Hopsby, being a fluent Spanish scholar, 
and author of that well-known work, ‘ Spanish As She Is 
Walked,’ looks after, while young Mr. Hopsby looks after 
his father and me, and it keeps him busy.” 

“ You have a good many lines beside pistols ? ” I asked. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


93 


“ Oh, yes ; pistols are a side issue. I sold Deming 1,237 
Waterbury watches, and Blossom a car-load of can-openers. 
I sell Pribyl here a ton of nail-pullers at a time. Did you 
ever see the Waterbury watch 
I have not seen it lately.” 

“ Then take these two ; no, put them both in your pockets ; 
I always give a man two, so he can check off one by the 
other. A Waterbury watch is one of the greatest blessings 
in the world. Babies can drop them ; boys can throw them 
at each other, and women can use them as stocking-darners. 
Mr. Hopsby drops one into the contribution box every Sun- 
day, and expects, in the course of a few years, to provide 
every young African with a time piece.” 

I didn’t get it quite clear in my mind whether Cockley 
was guying me or not, but he looked as if he were simply 
trying to be sociable. 

“ Have you been long on the road ? ” he asked. 

“ Ho; this is my first trip.” 

“ That so ? You look quite at home. I remember my 
first trip ; it was in Hew England, and I was selling sewing- 
machine needles. Mr. Hopsby took me around a corner 
before I started and, presenting me with a nail-puller, told 
me he was afraid he vvas doing wrong to send me out, I was 
so young ; but that I was to remember that the only way to 
prosperity was in getting orders. It hadn’t struck me in 
just that light before, but the more I thought it over the 
more I believed he was right. The first man I tackled was 
a pious-looking deacon, and I began to whistle ‘ The 
ninety and Hine ’ as I went toward him, so that he might 
understand that I was a Bible class scholar. I -worked over 
that brother for two mortal hours, and finally got mad. ‘ If 
you only played billiards,’ said I, ‘ I’d lick you like thunder.’ 
‘You can’t do it,’ said he, and in less than ten minutes we 
were at the table across the street. I was just more than 
walloping him, when suddenly I remembered the tearful in- 


94 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


junctions of Mr. Hopsby. I let him beat me three games, 
and then sold him $60 worth of needles.” 

“You have been on the road a long time ? ” 

“Twenty-two years come Valentine’s day.” 

I looked incredulous. 

“ Oh, I began young. Chris. Morgan, George Bartlett, 
Sam Farmelee, Charley Healey, and I started on the same 
day. We now leave New York Saturday night, give Cleve- 
land, Monday ; Toledo and Detroit, Tuesday; Fort Wayne 
and Indianapolis, Wednesday; Chicago, Thursday; St. 
Louis, Friday ; Cincinnati, Saturday ; and are in New York 
for business the next Monday morning.” 

“ That is fast traveling.” 

“Yes, but we have the trade educated up to it. We tell 
them ‘no bouquets,’ ‘ no parties,’ but just orders. We tele- 
graphed ahead to Toledo, the other day, so that while the 
train waited twenty minutes for dinner I sold three bills.” 

This was all said so honestly and so pleasantly that I had 
to believe he was sincere, but at the same time I knew it 
wasn’t strictly correct, and 1 felt more and more uncom- 
fortable. 

“ How do you like this hotel ? ” 

“ Pretty well ; I’m not very particular.” 

“ You will be when you have been ten or fifteen years on 
the road. Hotels are a large part of your life, I left word 
at the Julian House, in Dubuque, to be called at six o’clock, 
the other night, and about four I heard some one pounding 
away, so I asked what was up. The musical voice of the 
watchman came back : ‘ It’s now 4 o’clock, and I’m going 
off watch, so yees has two hours yet to sleep before 6 o’clock.’ 
Now that struck me as a family arrangement, and I’m going 
to have it extended to other houses.” 

“ There’s something about hotels I don’t like,” I said. 

“ What’s that ? The whisky ? It is poor here, but you 
will find it better farther West.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


95 


“No,” I said, “I’m not much interested in the whisky. 
What I dislike about hotels is the loneliness.” 

“ Yes, that’s so. For that reason I like to travel with a 
party. I get Brother Little, he sells Pills bury flour, and is 
a first-rate player on the harmonica, and A1 Bevins (the tal- 
ented sleigh-bell artist), who plays on a $2 music box, while 
I play on a double police whistle equal to any man in Amer- 
ica. We take possession of the parlor and invite the land- 
lord’s family in, and, I tell you, we make it home-like ! How 
would you like to try a little concert here to-night ? ” 

I begged off most emphatically, and said I must go for 
business. 

“ Hold on, we’ll go together. Do you know any one here ? ” 

I confessed that I did not. 

“Neither do I ; so we can be of great help to each other. 
I’ll introduce you, and then you can introduce me.” 

I felt as if I stood a good chance of getting into some kind 
of a scrape before I got away from him ; but off we started. 
We were going down the street when Cockley struck an at- 
titude and pointed to a sign over the way : 

“ I told you I knew no one ; I was joking. There’s a 
friend’s. Let’s go over and see Bewell. He’ll be glad to 
see us and give us the whole town. He was in New York 
this spring, and we had a good time together studying up 
art. After he had once seen the game piece in Stewart’s it 
was impossible to keep him away from it. I never saw men 
so devoted to aesthetics as he and Joe Gildersleeve were. He 
said the best way to see the picture was through a glass of 
rum and molasses, and he looked at it in that light about 
thirteen times a day.” 

I followed him in with some fear of a joke being played 
on me, but his manner changed at the door, and we met 
Bewell as if we were all deacons. He gave Cockley a very 
warm reception, as if thoroughly glad to see him. I con- 
cluded I was in the way, so with a promise to call later, I 


96 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


betook myself to another house. I did not meet Cockley 
again for many months. 

I thought him over when 1 had time, and was not sur- 
prised that I had always heard him spoken of as being a 
very successful salesman. The half-hour that we were to- 
gether had made me like him, and the way that he went into 
BewelPs store showed me that he knew when to be dignified 
as well as when to be jolly. I especially liked the way in 
which he spoke of his partners ; in my way of thinking this 
is one of the signs of a broad man. The small, petty-minded 
fellows are sure to have a complaint to make of their house 
or buyers or partners. In following Cockley’s steps since I 
have always heard him pleasantly spoken of by merchants 
and travelers. 

I found the store, to which I took my way, a large whole- 
sale hardware house. I observed as I entered that one man 
was very angry about something, while he talked to another 
whom I took to be his traveling man. I did not care to 
bother him until he was through, so nodded a good morning 
and took a chair. I soon found the man was angry over 
allowances the traveler had made in the previous week, and 
I was much interested and strongly in sympathy with him. 

“What did Labar say about the goods he returned?” he 
asked, as his eye caught that name in the list in his hand. 

“ He claimed that he ordered dish-pans and that we sent 
rinsing-pans, and that the brushes were moth eaten.” 

“ What did you tell him ? ” 

“ I said as little as I could.” 

“ I wish you had told him that he was a contemptible cur. 
A man who will lie over $4.80 worth of goods, after keeping 
them in his hands ninety days, and seeing you twice meantime 
without saying a word, is a mighty small man. He knew from 
the price what the pans would be, but he never thought of any 
such excuse until after we drew on him for his long overdue 
bill. Of course our kicking does no good, because other houses 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


97 


will sell him until they have similar experiences with him, and 
it will take a good while to go around. If I was as mean as 
some of these whelps I’d shoot myself. Did Simpson pay up?” 

“ He paid the balance of the bill, but would not pay in- 
terest ; said that we were the only house that charged inter- 
est, and he should never buy of us again.” 

‘‘ The miserable little liar ! I don’t suppose a house is in 
existence that lets a bill run five months after due and does 
not add interest. When are you going out ? ” 

“ On the next train.” 

‘‘ W ell, try and collect the balance due from Stone, but 
don’t sell him another dollar ; there are decent men enough 
in the trade, let the mean ones go. If he does not pay, get 
the name of a reliable justice and we will send a sworn ac- 
count to him. But don’t sell him again.” 

“ They’re good as wheat.” 

I know they are good in the sense of being responsible ; 
mean men usually are ; but it is not a question of their re- 
sponsibility ; they are tricky and untruthful, and their idea 
of being smart is to lie over goods and prices and compel a 
deduction. Give them the go-by. Well, good-by ; don’t 
worry over trade ; do your best and we will be satisfied.” 

As his man started off he turned to me with, “Well, young 
man, you look as if you wanted to sell me something.” 


98 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTEE XYII. 

When a merchant says to the traveler, ‘‘ Young man, do 
you want to sell me something ? ” it is a notice to come at 
once to the point and state your business. It is not the way 
we like to proceed. We prefer to pass the compliments of 
the day, talk about business, and approach gradually the 
special branch of trade to which we are devoted. But Mr. 
Clark’s “Well, young man,” was like a whip, and I had to 
at once open out with my little story. 

“We don’t want anything in that line,” said he, with de- 
cision. “We are full of guns and ammunition. It’s a 
beastly business. I wish I was out of it. Here is a card 
quoting Pieper’s ‘ Diana ’ gun at $32 ; mine cost me $38 ; 
now, how the d — 1 does this concern sell at $32 ? ” 

The “Diana” gun was well known to the trade as one 
having all the modern improvements ; the rubber butt-piece 
had Diana’s head on it and hence the name ; but Pieper sent 
over one lot of about two hundred guns of the common 
quality, and this “Diana” butt-piece was on them; they 
were sold by Pieper’s agent to a gun house as common guns, 
at about $28, but this house promptly sent out its daily 
postal card quoting the “ Diana gun ” at $32. This was the 
story as told to our house, and I explained it to Mr. Clark. 

“That may be just as you say,” said he, “ but a business 
that is fuU of that kind of tricks is a good one to get out of.” 

Just then a clerk came in and handed him a slip of paper, 
which I recognized as a special report from the mercantile 
agency. He excused himself while he read it. “ This beats 
the Turks,” said he to me. “ I never knew a time when it 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


99 


was so difficult to get reports of the standing of retail dealers 
that you could tie to. My man sends in an order from J. C. K., 
Burlington, and he says : ‘ This man has a nice stock of goods 
and his neighbors say he is worth $5,000, and is good for 
anything he buys.’ Dun does not quote him at aU, so I 
asked for special report, and here it is : 

J. C. K., Burlington, has been in business here since 1880 ; came from 
Kokomo, where he failed and paid 40 cents on the dollar ; is married, 
age about 42, habits good. Claims to have stock of $2,200, and to owe 
not to exceed $600. Is doing fair business, but his personal expenses 
are rather high, and it is said he is close run for ready means. Thought 
safe for small amounts, but bill should not be allowed to lapse. 

“IS^ow this and my salesman’s report don’t tally very 
closely. Here is another case. My man sells John Johnes, of 
Dubuque, and writes : ‘ He has a grocery well stocked ; says 
stock is worth $3,000, and no debts. His neighbors say he 
is sound as wheat.’ But when Dun’s report comes in it 
says : 

I 

Is a married man. Been in business alone and with partners for 
several years ; means limited and estimated worth $500 to $800. Is re- 
garded as an honest man, and it is believed he will do for a limited 
line. 

“How I don’t like an honest man who is worth $500 to 
$800, according to Dun, but who tells my man he is worth 
$3,000.” 

“You can usually depend on Dun, can’t you ?” 

“Yes, I think they sin on the right side; they are apt to 
make a man out as bad as they can. Here is one of their 
reports, as an instance : 

F. Keef, saloon and grocery. He appears to be doing a good business; 
is in debt, but to what extent are not able to say. Had some claims 
against him here, but think he will pay. Has some energy and push in 
business. Has no real estate so far as known, and not considered sound 
financially. 

“ You would not care to sell a man on such a report, would 


ICO 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


you ? Yet that man is one of the best paying men on our 
books.” 

‘‘ Do not your salesmen call on the banks ? ” 

“ Yes, I suppose they do, but let me tell you that banks 
are the biggest liars in existence. They often say a man is 
good when they know exactly to the contrary. My man 
sent in an order from L. Loeby, of LaGro, Kentucky ; he 
wrote, ‘Loeby is a sharp buyer, and said to be good. I called 
at the bank and they said he was A Ko. 1, and good for 
anything he buys.’ Well, I got a report from Dun, and 
here it is : 

L. Loeby, LaGro ; age 35 ; married ; been in business two years ; 
fairly temperate and fairly attentive to business ; character and business 
capacity moderate ; it is said doubtful as to honesty ; means in business, 
about $1,000 ; no real estate ; on the $1,000 above listed as his means in 
business the bank here holds a chattel mortgage of $600 ; he has a large 
family, and of late he has not been paying his bills as they fall due. 

“You can see why the bank quotes him A No. 1. The 
more goods he gets the better is the value of their chattel 
mortgage. I have stopped putting much faith in what banks 
say about men.” 

“ Are not the mercantile agencies almost always sure to 
find something against a man or a firm ? ” 

“ No, sir ; they have to give facts as near as they can get 
at them, and if there is nothing against a man they can not 
give anything against him. Take this report : 

Darby & Chase, groceries and commission, Delphi. E. J. Darby and 
W . H. Chase compose the firm ; seem to be men of good character and 
business capacity. They are thought to be worth $10,000 to $15,000. 

“ That report probably gives the best general opinion in 
that community regarding that firm. Their character and 
business capacity are good, and they are prospering, evi- 
dently. But the mercantile agencies omit to tell us some 
very important points about men. A man may be finan- 
cially all right, and yet be an undesirable customer, or one 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


101 


who ought to be handled with great care. Every report 
ought to tell whether the man is a smart Aleck or not ; if 
he is mean about returning goods ; if he makes unfair claims ; 
if he is a chronic reporter of shortages ; if he allows bills to 
run long past due and then refuses to pay interest, or ex- 
change on drafts ; all these points ought to be covered.” 

“ Are you much bothered by such men ? ” 

“ Every wholesale house is ; no matter what line it is in, 
or who it is, the wholesale dealer has more or less of just 
such men to deal with. I know a retailer who invariably 
reports a shortage ; he lies, of course, but he is fool enough 
to think he is making money because he beats every house 
out of a dollar or two every time he pays a bill. Here is a 
man whose bill was due November 30 ; I draw on him by 
express (his town has no bank) February 23, and add 25 cents 
to the draft to cover the cost of getting the money to me. 
I make no claim for interest although I have as good a legal 
claim for it as for the principal, but he refuses to pay my 
draft, and in a few days sends me his check on a country 
bank for the face of the bill. It cost me 25 cents to collect 
his check, and I paid 25 cents to the express company on 
the returned draft, so I get 50 cents less than my bill and lose 
the use of my money nearly three months after it was due me.” 

‘‘ Why didn’t you draw through the nearest bank the day 
the bill was due ? ” 

“ I didn’t want to be so sharp with him ; I felt kindly to- 
ward him, and supposed a little leniency would be appre- 
ciated, so I only sent a statement asking for remittance. And 
this is the way he repays me ! ” 

“ Probably you gave him a piece of your mind.” 

‘‘ What good does it do ? The drummer from my com- 
petitor will caU on him, and if the dealer starts to run me 
down he will help him at it. We put up with things of this 
kind until the average retailer fancies he is real smart, and 
that the meaner he is the smarter he will be considered.” 


102 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


“ But isn’t it your experience that shippers do make mis- 
takes, and occasional overcharges are made ? ” 

“ Certainly it is ; not very frequently, but occasionally such 
things happen to us. But I don’t write the factories as if 
they were pickpockets, and as if these errors were intentional.' 
In thirty years’ experience I never knew a house refuse to 
correct an error, and while I want all my discounts and ex- 
tras to which I am entitled, I don’t want one cent more than 
that. If I do not pay bills when due I expect to be drawn 
on, and have to pay the cost of the draft. If interest is 
demanded I pay it, and if it is not demanded I feel grateful 
to the house for letting me off.” 

“ I think gunsmiths a mighty touchy set of men to deal 
with.” 

“ They’re no better and no worse than any one else. My 
neighbor told me last night that he had just received notice 
from an Iowa customer that he would not take a bill of dry 
goods, just sent him, out of the depot because they were 
charged one-half cent too much. He claimed the bill was 
one-half cent a yard on everything higher than the price 
agreed upon between himself and the salesman. The house 
is one of the most reputable in the State ; the salesman is 
one of fifteen years’ experience, and the prices are the same 
as he made to others in that town and all along the route. 
He says the retailer kept no copy of the order and goes en- 
tirely by guess. He does not write to ask the house if there 
is a mistake or not, but shows his smartness by announcing 
that he shall refuse to receive the goods.” 

“ What will they do with him ? ” 

“ Keen said the man owed them $700 on a past due note 
that they were carrying at his request ; he said they would 
compel him to pay it up clean at once, and never go near 
him again. I hope it will bother him right bad to raise the 
money.” 

I apologized for having taken up so much of his time, but 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


103 


said I would be sorry to go away and not have a small order 
to show for it. I called his attention to Flobert rifles, in- 
terested him in them, and finally secured his order for a case. 
As we were finishing our talk a happy-looking pair came in 
the door, and I took up the morning paper while Mr. Clark 
went forward and greeted one of them, a Mr. Healey, very 
cordially, as if he were a very old friend, and then Healey, 
his eyes twinkling, said : 

“Mr. Clark, let me introduce my friend, Mr. Fuller. He 
is known far and near as ’And Forged Fuller, and he is also 
the owner and patentee of that celebrated washing com- 
pound, Fuller’s Earth.” 

Clark laughed heartily as he shook hands with Fuller, 
who said : 

“ I may say that my trade mark is ‘ Paragon ;’ heverybody 
hasks for it — ” 

“ Yes,” broke in Healey, “ and nobody buys it ! ” 

“ I may say,” said Fuller, placidly, “ that Mr. Healey is 
wrong ; I frequently sell a few. It’s my trade mark, and 
known, I may say, in England as well as here.” 

“ Yes,” said Healey, “ Fuller lives on both continents, and 
brings the steel over in his grip. W e have our examples at 
the hotel and shall be glad to have you come up there. Fuller 
don’t care whether he sells or not ; he is rich and traveling 
only to keep down his flesh.” 

Mr. Clark made an engagement with them and they went 
away. As they passed out he said : “ There goes one of the 
most genial-hearted men on the road. I have known Charley 
Healey for about twenty years. He came out here repre- 
senting Hilger & Son, and built up a good trade for that 
firm. Hilger could not have done it in a thousand years. 
Then that firm and Wiebusch consolidated, and Healey 
looked after their Western business. I never met a buyer 
who was not his friend, and I imagine most of them are, like 
myself, heavily in his debt for courtesies extended to us, not 


104 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


by way of business, but as if he were under obligations to us. 
I say to you that a good many houses never suspect the debt 
they are under to their traveling men, but look upon them- 
selves as the great magnet that draws trade, when nine out 
of ten dealers care nothing whatever about the principals 
and buy entirely out of regard for the salesman.” 

I had heard many men speak in the same terms of Healey 
before, and I hoped I should meet him at dinner. 

As I bade good-by to Mr. Clark and thanked him for the 
order given me, he said : Somehow you do not seem like a 
stranger.” 

I thanked him for that compliment most sincerely. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


105 


CHAPTEE XYIII. 

Sunday to the commercial traveler, if to no others, is pre- 
eminently a day of rest. If there are stores open 
during week days he feels that he ought to be at work, and 
if he gives himself an extra half-hour at noon or evening his 
conscience pricks him. But upon the Sabbath there is noth- 
ing to be done by way of business, unless in getting from 
one town to another, and it is his rest day. 

I slept so late (I admit that I am always lazy whenever I dare 
be) that I fancied I would have the dining-room to myself, 
but I had plenty of company. The hotel where I was had 
an excellent reputation on the road and was a favorite place at 
which to pass Sunday. I was fortunate enough to meet here 
a hardware man from my own city whom I knew well, and 
who had traveled long enough to know almost everybody. 

“ How is trade ? ” was, of course, his first question. 

I had no bragging to do over my trade, for, it must be 
confessed, I was not sure that I had sold even half what I 
ought to have done. So I said, ‘‘ My trade is only so-so.” 

“ Well,” said he, I guess that is about as much as any of us 
can say. Times are tight. Goods are so infernal cheap and cost 
so little that if you sell a man four or five pages it donT 
amount to anything in dollars and cents. I was just telling 
White here — by the way, let me introduce my friend, Mr. 
White; sells notions for Haff & Walbridge, Hew York. I 
was just telling White that I took a big order from a house 
yesterday, one covering six pages of note paper, and each 
item calhDg for fair quantities, and it amounted to $92. A 
few years ago it would have footed up $400.” 

8 


106 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


“ It is SO in every line,” said White, “ everything is down, 
but we have new lines every season, and keep up trade by 
having novelties.” 

“ What a chain-lightning genius Haff is ! ” exclaimed my 
friend. “ I remember when he traveled for Howard & San- 
ger ; good-natured, voluble, energetic, and uneasy as a lump 
of mercury. Suddenly he blossomed out as an inventor, and 
he’s kept on inventing ever since. I’ve been surprised that 
the man who is father of so many children has not invented 
a better nursing-bottle or colic exterminator. What’s your 
last novelty ? ” 

“ Base balls.” 

“ Ye gods ! Base balls! Well, you’ve got a mighty good 
man to fight against.” 

“ Who’s that ? ” 

“ Taylor, of Bridgeport. I don’t know when I’ve seen a 
man of more push than he. I believe he patented or in- 
vented the ball that Warner makes, and they placed him in 
charge of the ball department. He just has balls on the 
brain; tosses them in his sleep ; takes them to church and 
plays catch with the tenor, and keeps two balls in the 
air while he drinks a cup of tea. That kind of a man is 
bound to succeed.” 

‘‘ Is the base ball trade a large one ? ” 

“ Yes, it amounts to a good deal of money. Every notion 
dealer in the country carries more or less of them in stock. 
The ball that sells for a nickel is bought by the barrelful ; 
such a ball is sold to the jobbers at 28 or 30 cents per dozen, 
and to the retailer at 35 to 40 cents. Balls that retail at 10 
to 25 cents are the best sellers, but a few good balls go in 
every bill.” 

“ How high do they run ? ” 

“ The best sewed balls retail at $1.75 each, but the ordi- 
nary ‘ league ’ ball retails at $1.50. Such a ball is sold to job- 
bers at $7 to $9 per dozen, except Spaulding’s ; he keeps his 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


lOT 


pretty stiff because he gets them into the hands of the 
National League, and a certain class, because of that, will 
buy them and no other.” 

“ Is there any choice in the different makes? ” 

“Very little. Certain dealers get balls made with their 
name on and advertise them as being superior to anything 
made, and very often the manufacturer cannot sell his own 
brand in the territory where these are. You know people 
love to be fooled.” 

As we went away from the table, we met a gentleman 
whom my friend introduced as Mr. Hart, of Bradly& Smith, 
brush manufacturers, New York. Hart evidently was an 
old timer on the road, and knew the brush business like a 
book. 

‘‘ Trade is fair,” said he, ‘‘ but New York has to compete 
with brush factories in every city now, whereas, twenty 
years ago, we had it our own way. That was the time 
when my firm ran the Methodist Church and laid out Asbury 
Park, N. J. It was easier to make $50,000 a year then than 
it is to make $5,000 now.” 

I was struck with a point he made against a buyer for a 
large jobbing house. Some one had said that they bought 
in good quantities, as compared with one of their competi- 
tors. “ Yes, they buy in larger quantities,” said he, but give 
me the other men. I sell them both, but here is an incident 
which tells the kind of big buyers your friends are. A 
year ago I had a new leather-back horse brush that I was 
selling at $9 a dozen. I showed it to B’s buyer and it took 
his eye at once. ‘ What is the best you will do if I take a 
quantity ? ’ he asked. ‘ I would like to sell that at $9, and if 
I could do it I’d push them.’ I knew there was a good profit 
to us at $9, even where we sold in small lots, so I figured that 
in quantities we could sell at $7.50. How many do you sup- 
pose he ordered ? ” 

‘‘Well,” said my friend, “ knowing that it’s mighty hard 


108 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


work to sell a $9 brush nowadays, I should say six dozen 
would be a good order.” 

‘‘ Yes, so it would ; I expected he would order six or eight 
dozen, but he ordered twenty dozen.” 

“ The deuce he did ! Did he sell them ? ” 

“ I was there yesterday and he had sixteen dozen and a 
half on hand. I don’t call that very shrewd buying.” 

Sitting in the smoking room was a tall, slim, Yankee- 
looking sort of a man, who smoked in a nervous way, and 
when he talked seemed to speak with great earnestness. He 
was introduced as Mr. Eockwell, a cutlery manufacturer of 
Meriden, Conn. Somehow these Meriden men are all alike. 
They are great pushers in business, wire-pullers in politics, 
and in season and out of season stand by each other. If 
Wilcox and Curtiss and the Eockwell family were only 
guaranteed fifty years more of life they would own the 
State of Connecticut. Eockwell was discoursing upon 
pocket cutlery, and as it was a subject about which I knew 
nothing, I took a back seat. 

“ American manufacturers,” said he, “ not only have to 
fight against poor foreign goods, but what is worse, they 
have to fight against them under American names and 
labels. Thirty years ago if a man got up a fancy brand he 
put ‘ Sheffield ’ on it ; now this is changed ; everything has 
to have at least an American name. The result is that 
American goods are damaged by foreign trash, which, hav- 
ing an American brand, is supposed to be American-made. 
A farmer buys a knife branded ‘ Missouri Cutlery Shops,’ 
thinking he is getting an honest, home made article. The 
probabilities are that it was made in Germany, and is of the 
poorest quality. It does not give satisfaction ; so he damns 
American goods and goes back to his old IXL. And when 
he gets a poor IXL knife, as he very frequently does, he swears 
it is bogus.” 

“ That’s so,” said one of his friends. I often hear men 
sighing for the old knife of their daddies.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


lOO" 

“ Why, here is a sample of the man in this letter. Let me 
read a few lines. After mentioning our advertisement, he 
says : 

Now I have been hunting a good knife for twenty years, but too much 
“protective tariff” having shut out competition, we now only get such 
“pot-metal” cutlery as monopolists choose to give us; nice handles with 
hoop-iron or cast blades, not as good for $2 as the old “ Barlow” knife 
boys could buy for a “ bit” forty-five years ago. If yours are good I will 
be glad to get them, but if they are a cheat, I will call on you with a 
shot-gun, on my way to Canada, where I will then have to look for a 
good knife. 

That man,” continued Eockwell , “ believes what he 
says, probably, but a man of 45 who knows so little ought 
to be shut up in an idiot asylum. If we could have a law 
here as they do in England, permitting no goods to be 
labeled or branded as American-made unless they were made 
here, such a man would hang his head with shame at his in- 
justice to home manufacturers.” 

I liked to hear Eockwell talk ; he had a way of giving a 
sentence in a crisp, sharp way, and then half shutting his 
eyes for a moment, as if he was waiting to see what the other 
fellow would say and be ready with an answer. 

My friend spoke of him with great enthusiasm, saying his 
house had done business with him for many years, and 
looked upon Eockwell as one of the most growing men 
in the trade. In talking with him afterward about pocket 
cutlery, he said to me : “ ]S"o cutlery factory in this coun- 

try is paying a penny to its stockholders ; we are looked 
upon by the free-traders as coining money, but our men are 
averaging twice the wages of the English, and three 
times those paid by Germany, and the labor is about eighty- 
five per cent, of the cost of the pocket knife. The leading 
American makers turn out good goods, far above the 
average English or German ; but the consumer is not able 
to tell whether he is using an American or foreign-made 


110 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


knife, because of the habit of branding everything with 
American names, and we have to bear the curse.” 

“Why is it that Meriden people hang together so?” I 
asked. 

“ Do we ? ” he asked, laughing. “ Perhaps it because 
they’re all such good fellows. The rich men there, and 
there are a good many of them, have always been ready to 
help any enterprise that came to the town and could make 
a fair showing. You will find the same men stockholders 
in a great many different companies ; their salesmen help 
each other, and they are closely united socially. They work 
together and love their city.” 

I don’t know any better eulogy to deliver upon a body 
of business men. 

Later in the day, a rather warm conversation near us 
drew us toward five or six men who seemed to be growing 
excited. A traveling salesman appeared to be giving a 
manufacturer some good advice. 

“You men,” said he, “ seem to think you do a very smart 
thing when you go to these big buyers and give them an 
extra 10 per cent., but you don’t seem to be capable of learn- 
ing that in doing this you are cutting your own throats. 
Only a few months ago I was talking to Simmons. ‘I 
don’t like these low prices,’ said he, ‘ nor to have everything 
down so close to cost ; we can’t get extra discounts as we 
can when prices are higher ; the most we can get now under 
ordinary circumstances is 2| to 5 per cent.’ ‘ How much 
do you think you ought to get?’ I asked him. ‘Ten per 
cent., at least,’ said he.” 

“ But he doesn’t get it,” said the manufacturer. 

“ Oh yes, he does, on a good deal of his stock. He must 
get it on your goods or he would not be quoting them at 
the price we pay you for them. We paid you $3.60 for the 
last lot we bought, and 1 saw a quotation from him on your 
goods at $3.62. He is no fool ; he does not sell goods at 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


Ill 


cost. When I saw his quotation my price was $3.60 and 
will be $3.60 until we clean your goods from our shelves, 
and it will be a good while before any more of the same 
brand ever go back there again.” 

But that is all nonsense,” said the other, “ he buys the 
goods at exactly the same price your house does.” 

“ Then it is time we quit them. If we have no protection 
on your goods we want to drop them.” 

“ That’s pretty tough,” said the other, half disposed to 
be angry. I have no control over his or your prices ; I 
sell your house as I sell him ; I advertise the goods so that 
the jobber could make a good profit if he would, but if he 
won’t I cannot compel him to do it. The jobber has no 
idea of anything but to beat his competitor in buying and 
then beat him in cutting the price. Nothing counts in 
business but a ‘ cut.’ I don’t know where we are going to.’^ 
Well,” said my friend, “suppose we go to dinner.” 


112 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

A number of traveling men around a Sunday dinner-table, 
when they feel sure it is going to be a good dinner, is about 
as entertaining a company as any business man would care 
to be in. Jokes are necessarily plenty ; stories fly about 
freely, but the man must be very thick-headed who does not 
pick up bits of information that he is the ’ better for know- 
ing. 

At our table were represented knit goods, groceries, cut- 
lery, hardware, crockery, and guns. When the jokes had 
flowed about, and firms were being discussed, I heard the 
dry-goods man say: “Yes, sir, if I wanted to point out 
two of the longest-headed men who foresaw the coming 
change in doing business I would mention Butler Bros., of 
Chicago and Hew York. I used to sell them notions when 
they were in Boston, and they were nice men to do business 
with. It’s harder to sell them to-day, for the buyer has 
grown hardened and cuts to the quick.” 

“ They were the 5-cent counter men, were they not ? ” 

“Yes, 5, 10, and 25 cent counter goods was their hobby, 
and it beat the great horn spoon to see how the thing 
spread. Every little cross-roads store had its 6 and 10 cent 
counters, and manufacturers and jobbers cut in prices to 
cater to it. Of course it could attract attention only by 
offering bargains. If a dealer put on his 25-cent counter 
only such goods as he had been selling at 25 cents, no one 
would have patronized it. The point in his mind was to 
attract attention by the bargains he could show. He could 
make a fair profit on the whole lay-out, but perhaps one- 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


113 


third of the stock was sold very close. Under ordinary 
I circumstances a dealer paying 20 cents for an article would 
sell it at 30 to 40, but now it went on the 25*cent counter.” 

“ But it hurt regular trade.” 

‘‘ Yes, it did to this extent, that it led men to dabble in 
things not in their own line. The dealer was apt to do the^ 
most cutting in such goods as were not in his regular line. 
He was inclined to be stiff on his own goods, but say he was^ 
i a dry-goods dealer, it did not hurt him to cut on tin dippers, 
wash-basins, wooden-ware, etc. So when the hardware men 
followed with their cheap counters they were most in- 
clined to cut on notions, and in fact the cheap-counter busi- 
ness has very much to do in the mixing up of trades and the 
demoralization of prices.” 

“Don’t you think it was the basis of department stores? ” 

“Yes, I do. Men saw that their small line of crockery, or 
tinware, or stationery sold well, and they increased the 
assortment, and finally led up to the ‘ department ’ idea.” 

“ How is this 5-cent counter business managed ? I mean, 
how are the sales made ? ” 

“ Largely in assortments ; for instance, if you pick up adver- 
tisements of the houses making a specialty of such goods, you 
will find that they offer assortments for a certain amount of 
money. They give the goods in detail ; the dozen price of 
each article, the quantity sent in the assortment, the cost to 
the dealer, and the total retail price. Of course if the 
j dealer is just starting out in such goods the entire assort- 
ment is what he wants, but if he is in it already the list en- 
ables him to buy just those things he needs. You’d be sur- 
prised to see the profit there is in these things, even in the 
! present hard times. For instance, I saw an assortment of 
5-cent goods consisting of 167 dozen articles which would 
retail, as you can figure, for $100.20 ; cost to the dealer, 

; $60 ; profit, $40.20, or 67 per cent, on the investment.” 

I “ Let’s go into the 5-cent business,” said the cutlery man. 


114 


A MAK OF SAMPLES. 


“ Better start a knife-stand on the street. Do you make 
goods for street-men ? ” 

'No ; they handle the cheapest Dutch trash.” 

Where do they get it ? ” 

In Hew York and Philadelphia. Seven or eight years 
ago some street fakir got hold of a showy two-blade pen- 
knife at about $2 a dozen. He took his stand on the street 
and they went off readily at 25 cents. The business seemed to 
spread all over the country like wild-fire, and especially during 
the fair season. Jobbers in the inland cities were cleaned 
out of stock they looked upon as dead and worthless. 
Of course, as soon as this demand was felt houses began to 
prepare to supply it. At first the fakirs were willing to 
pay $2 per dozen, but when new stocks came out cuts were 
made and the prices steadily went down.” 

“ What do they pay now ? ” 

“ These 25-cent tables do not cost, on an average, $1.50 per 
dozen knives. They get out a very handsome-looking two- 
blade knife, in bone or ebony handle, for $1.32 per dozen ; a 
good-looking jack-knife for $1.40 to $1.75 ; pearl handle pen- 
knives for $1.75 to $2.” 

Are they worth a cent ? ” 

Hot to cut with. They sell by the eye entirely ; handles 
and blades are well finished, and they seem to be worth a 
good deal more than the price asked for them.” 

We had quite a run with some of these men on revol- 
vers,” said the hardware man. ‘‘ We had a wood handle 32- 
caliber that cost 85 cents — a good pistol. A seedy-looking 
fellow bought two or three hundred from us. His plan was 
to go into a shop, saloon, or store, and in a confidential way 
tell the boss or clerk that he was dead broke and would sell 
his $5 revolver for $2.50. At that time the average gun- 
smith was asking $3.50 to $5 for a common revolver, and he 
sold enough every day to make him good wages.” 

“ Thank goodness ! ” said the grocer, “ we don’t have these 
snide affairs in our line.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


115 


“ No, people have to give your goods away. It’s samples 
of soap, samples of tobacco, samples of tea, samples of 
baking-powder, etc., etc., from morning till night. It’s a 
mighty mean line that has to be given away.” 

“ This giving away,” said the crockery man, ‘‘ has made a 
big hole in our business. Some one suddenly discovered that 
crockery would be a taking thing to help work off poor 
goods. Of course, the home jobber benefited by it for 
a very short time, and then the New York importers stepped 
in and took the cream. Baking-powder men, coffee-grinders, 
tea houses, and others sent out crockery, and people got so 
much of it for nothing they had no excuse for buying any.” 

“ I doubt if it really hurts us much in the long run,” said 
the Meriden man. Here was a baking-powder concern in 
Ohio that offered a set, consisting of fifty-one pieces, of silver- 
plated ware with every case of their own goods. If you 
had read their advertisement you would have been sure that 
Eogers never turned out any better goods than these they 
were giving away. But the fifty-one pieces cost them just 
$7.50 ! They used a good many thousand sets. The table 
caster was worth about 70 cents. You can imagine the 
quality ! Now, I hold that in the long run cheap stuff will 
help good goods. People who have it will get disgusted 
with it, and will replace it with reliable ware, while if they 
had never had the trash they would not have had their own 
consent to buy the better goods.” 

“ Perhaps the most wonderful thing about business to- 
day,” was said, “is the amount of information given in 
circulars, price lists and advertisements. I can remember 
twenty years back where a price list simply gave you the 
briefest statement of the article, sometimes the size, but 
oftener not, and the price. Nowadays an ordinary list is a 
mine of information. I remember having reached the con- 
clusion that one of the things particularly needed was a cir- 
cular for the consumer about the way to strop and take care 


116 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


of a razor. I could not find a syllable on the subject in any 
English or American price list. I wrote to four manufac- 
turers for points, but received the briefest of replies and no 
practical help. I sat down to write the circular. Did you 
gentlemen ever try your hand at such a job T’ 

1^0 one had. 

“ Then I just want you to try it once, and you will believe 
what I tell you, that it will be about as tough a job as you 
ever undertook. I had been selhng razors for ten or twelve 
years ; I had talked with barbers, as you all have ; I had 
heard customers talk ; I had heard shrewd remarks and silly 
remarks ; I had heard manufacturers occasionally drop a 
hint, and now I was to sit down and evolve out of my 
memory and experience a circular on the subject that would 
be of benefit to every one handling a razor.” 

How did you make out ? ” 

‘‘Well, perhaps the best answer to that is the fact that our 
firm sends out the circular to day just as I wrote it eight 
years ago. But I started to speak of the large amount of 
information you find in circulars and advertising nowa- 
days. Advertising is much more of a science than it was. 
Pick up a decent trade paper and the ordinary advertisement 
is full of shrewd points for those handling the goods, that 
cannot help being of immense value to retailers. And I can 
call your attention to this : these advertisements, these 
shrewd ones, are alwaj^s written by men who have been 
traveling salesmen. Such men know the points that ought 
to be brought out.” 

“Yes,” said the dry-goods man, “how is this, cut from 
the advertisement of a list of five-cent counter goods. Don’t 
you believe the man who wrote this knew the soft side of 
a retailer ? ” And he read : 

HOW TO DO IT. 

Bundle up some of the unseasonable goods that are taking up valu- 
able counter space, and put them away on the shelves. By this 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


117 


economy of space, and with the possible addition of a temporary 
counter, you have gained room enough to admit of the introduction of 
a “5c, 10c or 25c counter.” The next thing to do is to send to some 
reliable jobber for a bill of staple household sellers, with which you 
can mix hundreds of articles from your own stock ; then send out a 
little circular (“ dodger/’) to the over-anxious inhabitants, telling them 
of a few of the articles to be found on your “Cheap Counter,” and they 
will respond as readil}’- as though you had sent them free tickets to the 
circus. It matters not that they have not seen one of these counters 
before, there will be the same rush — the same scramble for first choice 
— the same telling of friends about bargains bought ; and instead of 
sitting around waiting for the advent of spring, you will have pocketed 
a nice profit from your cheap counter, besides having worked ofi* any 
amount of odds and ends that might have been in your store five 
years, and would have remained five years longer had not this modern 
wonder made an exit for them. 

“ That sounds mighty like Ed. Butler,” said the dry-goods 
man. 


118 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTEE XX. 

Occasionally a traveling salesman meets at the hotel or 
on the train the head of some large house, who is making a 
trip for special reasons of his own. Such a man is always 
sure to be affable with every one, but he is especially con- 
ciliatory to the salesmen he meets on his route. Perhaps 
this is due to the fact that he is a stranger and these old 
travelers can help him, if they are so inclined, or it may be 
for the purpose of leading them to be talkative with him, 
and in that talk he can gather points that will be of value 
to him. Whatever the cause may be, there is no question 
as to the fact. But the talkativeness is not always on one 
side. I have met wholesale merchants on the road who 
would talk freely and tell me more about themselves and 
their business in one evening, while we sat in a country 
hotel, than they would have done in five years of ordinary 
intercourse in the city. 

The man who sits in the house all the year falls into 
several errors. One is in thinking that people are anxious 
to buy of him, and that his traveling men ought to find it 
very easy to get an order in almost every store. Another 
error is in believing that the orders come solely because of 
the firm's popularity, rather than of any merit in the sales- 
man. I suppose there are goods so well advertised that, in 
a large measure, they sell themselves ; but, outside of patent 
medicines, I can not now recall one such item. 

We were talking of this, half a dozen of us, while in the 
smoking-room Sunday evening, and one of us said : “ The 
best man to work for, if you do your level best, is a man 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


119 


who has been on the road himself. Such a man always 
knows where and when allowances must be made for dull 
trade, and for cutting of prices. The man who always 
makes the most trouble, and who was fore-ordained to be a 
dashed fool, is the book-keeper. The balancing of his little 
gods of books is of more account, in his eyes, than is the 
sale of a bill of goods. And having the ear of the firm he 
usually gets permission to do any piece of dashed foolishness 
that he suggests. But next to him is the merchant, who 
never steps out of his own door to try to sell a bill, or the 
manufacturer who runs his little shop in a one-horse way 
and never goes out to see what others are doing, or learn 
what consumers are saying about his goods. I once traveled 
for such an old block-head, and, as I started off on a trip, I 
advised him to discontinue making a certain article, telling 
him it was out of date and could only be worked off on 
greenhorns in business. I guess I was as much interested in 
getting them off as if they were my own, and I lost no 
chance of working in a few wherever I could. The same 
amount of work on salable goods would have paid big money. 
Well, when I got home, may I never breathe, if that old ass 
hadn’t taken my sales as evidence of the big demand for the 
goods and was piling up the store-house with the same 
stock ! ” 

“Yes,” said another, “but the man who sits in his office 
usually makes the biggest mistake in supposing that he is a 
great deal smarter than the men he sells. Because he is a 
peg higher in trade, as jobber, importer, or manufacturer^ 
he imagines he is also greater in ability, and he has no hesi- 
tancy in advising these poor devils about their business. I 
was selling scythes several years ago, and worked for just 
such a man as I have been describing. He was a good me- 
chanic, but pig-headed ; goods must be made and finished a 
certain way, because that was the way they had been made 
for thirty years. The result was we were losing our trade. 


120 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


I knew be was blaming me for the trade falling off, so I per- 
suaded him to make a flying trip with me to Buffalo, Cleve- 
land, Toledo, Detroit and Chicago. The dealers at Buffalo 
were rather old fogy, and we got our order there from our 
regular customer, but when we struck Cleveland I saw the 
old man open his eyes. It was one of Blossom’s off-days, so 
he didn’t waste much time on us, but said he didn’t want any 
of our goods. Deming hadn’t got into silver mining, so we 
couldn’t get an order from him by buying a share of stock, 
but Yan was about half -full, and he opened up on us. Then 
Toledo piled it on. There were four jobbing houses there 
in our line, but not one would buy. I knew one buyer 
pretty well. After we had been the rounds we came back 
to his place, and I asked him to tell us frankly how we could 
get some of his trade. He gave in detail the ideas that 
were current among retailers and consumers regarding shape 
and flnish of scythes, putting it down in a clear-headed way, 
so that a baby could have understood him, but showing the 
shrewdness of a man who was studying all the points in con- 
nection with his trade. It did the business. We went up 
to Detroit, and had a long talk with Charlie Fletcher, and 
the old man bought a lot of samples and went home. On 
my next trip, you can bet, I had salable goods.” 

“ You can study a man as he is only when you see him in 
his own store,” said a third. “ When a country merchant 
comes into Chicago, and walks into your store, he is ver}^- 
desirous that you shall be pleasantly impressed by him ; so 
he puts on his best manners. You are on your native heath, 
you are surrounded by your clerks, and you are considerable 
of a mail in a city of big men, while he realizes he is a very 
small toad in a little country puddle. But just put the shoe 
on the other foot, and go into his store. Now, he is on his 
own ground ; you are asking favors of him in the shape of 
orders, and all the petty smartness comes out, if there is any 
in him. It is an opportunity that permits a mean man to 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


121 


be his meanest, and draws out of a generous, kindly soul all 
the milk of human kindness there is in his heart.” 

“Well,” said a dry -goods man, “there are a good many 
kinds of men in the world, but the man who makes me 
fighting mad is in Pittsburg. He’s most infernally polite, 
but he never wants anything. As I go back to his desk he 
is either reading or writing. I say : ‘ Good morning, Mr. 
Plane,’ and hand him my card. He scarcely looks at it, but 
in the most solemn and dignified way says: ‘We do not 
need anything in your line to-day.’ Then I open up on my 
leading items : ‘ I have a very nice line of novelties in so-and- 
so.’ He looks off from his paper to say : ‘We are full of so- 
and-so to-day,’ then goes to reading again. ‘ I have some 
desirable patterns in new goods in silks.’ He looks up to 
say . ‘ We have enough silks for the present.’ ‘ I can give 
you special prices on hairpins.’ He looks up again to say : 
‘ Our stock of hairpins is full.’ And then I bow myself out. 
I asked the boss one day if he ever sold the firm when he 
was on the road. He said he did once. Plane was out of 
town and he sold his partner. Still, I call on him every 
time I go to Pittsburg.” 

“ Pittsburg ? Oh, that’s where Joe Horne hangs out.” 

“Who’s Joe Horne?” 

“ Why, Joe is the man whose orders are as well known in 
the West as Willimantic thread. Every Hew York drum- 
mer stops at Pittsburg, and every dry-goods man sells Joe 
Horne, or says he does, so that now, west of the Mississippi, 
the first greeting given a drummer is, ‘ Show us Joe 
Horne’s order.’ Joe must be a very good fellow to give his 
orders so impartially.” 

“ Did you know Luce ? ” one dry-goods man asked the 
other. 

“Luce, of Toledo? I should say I did.” 

“ He was a tough man to tackle unless he felt just right. 
They tell of a put-up job on a drummer who used to call on 
9 


122 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


him. He couldn’t manage ever to get an order out of Luce. 
One day he said to a friend, who always sold Luce, ‘ How 
is it that you succeed and I fail ? I sell the best trade in 
the country and to a good many men that you don’t sell ; 
now, why is it I can’t catch on to Luce ? ’ The other asked, 

^ Do you ever talk politics to him V ‘Ho.’ ‘ Well, that’s his 
soft side. He’s a regular old moss-back, Yallandigham Dem- 
ocrat. If you want to succeed, go in on that line.’ His 
friend thanked him, and the next time he went to Toledo 
he felt better. Luce wanted no goods, as usual. Then Mr. 
Traveling Man opened on politics. He remarked that all 
over the State there was a good show for burying the d — d 
Republicans that election. Luce glared at him in speechless 
wonder. Then Mr. Drummer launched out, on the infernal 
meanness of the Republican leaders, but by this time Luce 
was ready for him, and the way that poor devil was talked 
to would make you sorry. When he next saw his friend 
there came pretty near being a fight, but the friend thought 
it too good a joke to keep and told Luce. Ho one enjoyed 
a joke better than Mr. Luce, and, by thunder, the next time 
the man called on him he gave him a good order, and they 
were the best of friends afterwards.” 

“ I often wonder if any one ever fools a man equal to the 
way he fools himself. I always laugh over a customer of 
mine in Cincinnati who always insists he must have ‘ a leetle 
adwantage.’ The boys on the road like Old Pap and laugh 
over his ‘ leetle adwantage.’ He says : ‘ I must haf a leetle 

adwantage ofer Hew York and Philadelphy. They ton’t 
pay no freight They get their goods at their door ; I must j 
haf a leetle adwantage to cover the freight.’ The old man 
has this so firmly fixed in his head that we have to humor 
him by giving him ‘ a leetle adwantage.’ ” 

“ Some men think that in giving an order all they need to 
do is to state their own terms and time, and every one will 
dance to their tune. A concern in the Horthwest that 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


123 


failed (and they ought to), used to write their orders on a 
blank that was headed : 

All prices guaranteed. 

Privilege of increasing, decreasing, or countermanding. 

No charge for boxing or drayage. 

How was that for smartness ? ” 

/‘You say they failed ? ” 

“ They did.” 

“ They ought to have got rich ! ” 
j “ Yes, they are a fair type of the average buyer ; it’s cut 
i here, screw down there, pare over yonder! Ho matter what 
' your price may be, it’s always, ‘ W hat are you going to do 
for me ? ’ as if he must have a special cut. I showed Hib- 
; bard & Spencer’s buyer a new tool the other day, and gave 
him my price. ‘What’s the best you can do?’ I told him 
that was the best I could do. ‘ But what is your price to 
Hibbard & Spencer? ’ As though every salesman must have 
laid away in a snug corner, a special price for that impor- 
I tant firm ! ‘ I have given you my price ; it is the best I can do 

with anyone.’ They are not willing anyone shall make a 
i cent but themselves ; they want the whole apple, and are 
not willing to give the manufacturer the core.” 


124 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTER XXI. 

When I reached T. I had a very disagreeable duty before 
me, namely, to fix a misunderstanding with a customer. The 
house had written me : Atkinson & Co. bought a bill last 
October from Xed on 60 days’ time ; goods went exactly as 
ordered. When the bill became due we sent a statement, 
with a mem. that if not heard from in ten days we would 
draw. In reply they sent us a letter saying the goods were 
sold them under arrangement by which they are to be paid 
for when sold, and that we had better hold our draft, etc. 
We wrote that we did not do that kind of business ; that our 
terms were plainly stated on the invoice, and that upon re- 
ceipt of that, if not correct, they should have notified us at 
once. To this they sent a ‘ Smart Aleck ’ letter, and when 
we drew on them allowed our draft to be returned. Settle 
the matter up ; take back the goods, if no better way suggests 
itself, but close it up. And close up our deal with them ; 
they are the kind of men we do not want to do business 
with.” 

To be ordered to get money out of a slow customer is bad 
enough, but to have to settle an account with a mean one is 
a thousand times worse. The slow customer is usually ready 
to dun himself, and full of apologies for his slowness, but the 
“ Smart Aleck ” who wants to be small has a hundred argu- 
ments ready at hand to prove that he is a very superior 
person who proposes to stand on his rights. Every trav- 
eling man has such customers as this ‘‘on his list,” and is 
occasionally called upon to tackle them. 

I had made up my mind that I would find Atkinson rather 
tall and slim, but he wasn’t ; he was a pleasant-looking man, 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


125 


and I handed out my card as if I had called around to sell 
him a big bill. His face lost some of the smile when he saw 
the firm’s name, but I began to talk of trade and the weather, 
and kept it up until I had forced him into an appearance of 
being sociable. Eventually I led the talk around to his 
stock and was fully prepared for his decisive ‘‘We do not 
need any.” I mentioned guns, rifles, cartridges, caps — 
everything — but he was full. I was determined that he 
should introduce the subject of the account, and this he did 
when I made a move as if to go. 

“ Did your house tell you about our account ? ” 

“ They told me to stick to all the money I could get,” I 
said, pleasantly. 

“ Have you a statement of our account with you? ” 

“ I think I have.” And I appeared to be searching for it, 
though, of course, I knew the exact page and line it was on. 
“Here it is : $43.30.” 

He went to his ledger, found it correct, I suppose, and 
then from his cash drawer counted out the amount and 
asked for a receipt. I gave him one, thanked him for the 
money, and then remarked that I was sorry there had been 
any misunderstanding about the terms. 

“ I like to see a house live up to its agreement,” he said, 
in a surly tone. 

“ Don’t we ? ” 

“ Ho, sir ; these goods were to be paid for when sold.” 

“ But the invoice is plainly marked sixty days ; why didn’t 
you report such an agreement when you received the in- 
voice ? ” 

“ I don’t care for the invoice. Don’t I get any amount of 
invoices where all of the discount does not show? When I 
pay them I deduct the extra, and that is the end of it.” 

I concluded a little plain talk would neither do us or him 
any harm ; he was probably in a state of mind that would 
prevent him buying of us very soon again. I said : “ I am 


126 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


satisfied that you have been long enough in business to know 
that staple goods, such as you had from us, are never sold on 
any such terms as you state you bought these at. I made 
inquiries about you of your neighbors, and every one said 
they had misunderstandings with you, and are not on good 
terms with you, and if I could see your correspondence I am 
pretty sure I would find we are not the only house out of 
town that you have had just such disputes with. I simply 
say to you, and for your own good, Mr. Atkinson, that you 
are making a mistake. My orders from my house were not 
to sell you, and while I know you can get along without us, 
you can’t afford to keep driving houses away from you 
without hurting yourself. I’m obliged to you for paying 
me ; that is all I came in here for.” 

He told me that I and my house could go to the devil, 
and in that pleasant frame of mind we parted. I suppose I 
cut down the bridge between him and us, but I venture to 
say other houses had the benefit of my frankness. 

I spoke of this to an old traveling man whom I met at 
the hotel. ‘‘Yes,” said he, “there’s too much coddling 
among us all. We smooth over this, and give in on that, 
and the result is we make it all the easier for the fellow to 
be small the next time. I’m selling axes, and, of course, 
I have to warrant them. Do you warrant guns ? ” 

“ Hot to speak of.’’ 

“ Then you ought to thank your stars. Warranting is the 
most infernal device ever brought out to make men mean 
and dishonest. I put it down to the dealer, when I sell him, 
in the plainest way I know how, that we warrant an ax 
only against being soft or breaking from a plain flaw. 
When I come around in the spring he pulls from under the 
counter two or three or more rusty axes that he hands to 
me, with the remark that ‘ here are some poor ones.’ I pick 
up an ax and find some idiot ground it as thin as a razor, 
and the edge broke out so that it looks like a saw. I ask 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


127 


him what is the matter with it. ‘ Too hard ; brittle as glass.’ 
‘ But I didn’t warrant against being too hard.’ ‘ But you 
expect your axes to stand, don’t you ? ’ ‘ This would stand 

if ground properly.’ ‘ Oh, yes ; you fellows always have 
some loop-hole to get out of your warrant.’ This rather 
staggers me, so I pick up the next one. ‘ What is the matter 
with this ? ’ ‘ Soft.’ As I hold the edge to the light I can 

see a slight bend in the bit. The man who used it had it 
stick, and in his efforts to loosen it he had given it such a 
terrible wrench that the edge had bent a trifle. To a man 
knowing anything of the proper temper of an ax the fact of 
that slight bend is in its favor, and the work of grinding it 
out would have been much less than it was to remove the 
helve. But I pass that, as there is no use to argue that a 
slight twist does not show soft temper, and I pick up the 
third one. It has a corner broken off ; the break is still 
bright, but I am calmly told there was a bad flaw there. I 
start to explain why I know, from the shape of the break 
that there was no flaw, but he twits me again with wanting 
to go back on my warrant, and I stop right there. Now, 
this is the history of nine out of ten transactions. The re- 
tailer takes back everything a customer brings back for fear 
of losing that customer’s trade. The jobber takes back from 
the retailer, knowing it is unjust, but he is afraid that any hesi- 
tancy on his part will damage his trade. And the poor 
devil of a manufacturer takes it off the jobber’s hands and 
cannot help himself. There is a deuced lot of cowardice in 
business nowadays. It goes back through the dealers till 
it reaches the consumer, and it encourages him to make any 
kind of claim he sees fit to cover his negligence, ignorance, 
or maliciousness.” 

Sitting in the cars that evening, I overheard a traveling 
man say : “ I find it a little bit harder each week to leave 
home. I have a little girl of three, and I see so little of her 
it makes me discontented. Her mother knows just what 


128 


A MAN OF SAAIPLES. 


time I ought to come up the street, and she and the baby 
are watching for me at that hour every Saturday evening. 
When they see me the little one comes running to meet me. 
Her excitement and her running just take her breath away, 
so that when she gets to me she cannot speak a word. But 
she can squeeze me and kiss me. How I do hang on to her 
all the time I’m at home ! I go to bed two nights in the 
week like a man should. I wake up to find those little arms 
around me ! And on Monday morning I have to pull my- 
self away. I tell you it’s almighty hard.” 

His voice had a tremor in it, as if a very little encourage- 
ment would bring tears. 

Yes,” said the other, “ it is hard. I’ve been there. I 
had a girl six years old that was to me all yours is to you, 
and all she ever can be. I started off one Monday morning 
leaving her as happy as a lark. On Wednesday I was tele- 
graphed to come in, and when I got home Thursday morning 
she didn’t know me. Just as long as she could speak she 
kept asking for me. I never start out on a Monday morning 
but that I think of her, and I never walk toward the house 
Saturday night that 1 do not miss her. I don’t know, but 
it seems to me that a traveling man has no business to have 
a wife and family.” 

“ I never knew you had lost a child,” said the other ; “ if 
I should lose my baby I believe I would go insane.” 

“ Oh, no, you wouldn’t ; you would do just as every one 
else does ; you’d go on and suffer. But the men that can be 
with their families seven days in the week ought to thank 
their God every hour of the day.” 

“ I travel a good deal by team,” said a third, and am 
frequently driving as late as 10 or 11 o’clock at night. As 
I go along the road and see the light shining out of the win- 
dows, and see family groups in their homes, gathered around 
the lamp, I tell you, boys, I get homesick. It’s the time of 
day I want to be at home with my family. I envy every 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


129 


man I see in such a home, and I contrast his condition, sur- 
rounded with his wife and children, and a long night of rest 
before him, with my work. I finish up my day at a late 
hour at night, then perhaps have to get up at an unearthly 
hour in the morning to catch a train. There’s mighty little 
poetry in this kind of a life.” 

“ But, after all,” said the first speaker, our wives suffer 
the most. They have the responsibility of the home and 
children on their shoulders all the time, and they worry 
more or less over us. My wife never sees a boy coming to 
the door with a circular but she thinks he has a dispatch 
saying I am either maimed or killed in a railroad accident. 
Then if the children are sick she has to shoulder the burden 
alone, and it is all the greater because she always tortures 
herself by believing that she must be in some way to blame. 
1 tell you our wives have the hardest part to bear.” 

“ That’s so,” came from several. 


130 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


CHAPTER XXII. 

In a traveliDg man’s experience no two days are exactly 
alike, and yet there is a monotony in the story of a trip be- 
cause the history of one day is so much like the history of 
every day. We sell to different men and in different towns, 
but the arguments on both sides are very much the same 
with all men. It is but rarely that a merchant admits that 
he needs anything in our line until after a certain amount of 
preliminary coaxing, and he never admits that prices are low 
enough. 

Some buyers meet one pleasantly, and are perhaps all the 
more disappointing. Their manner seems to promise suc- 
cess, but the result is failure. Other men start in rather 
snappish, as if the salesman was a nuisance, but gradually 
grow sociable, and if they give him an order he is forever 
their friend. He can not take “no” for an answer, because 
his experience tells him that the majority of buyers start out 
with a “no,” and end by buying a bill. He must be per- 
sistent, because he has heard numberless times, “ I will look 
at your samples if it is any comfort to you, but I won’t buy,” 
and in nine cases out of ten he has taken the man’s order 
after all. 

The longer he is out on the road the easier his work 
grows, but it is not always true that his orders continue to 
grow larger. Friendship with buyers works two ways : the 
salesman may be able to press them to buy in a stronger 
manner than a stranger would dare do, and on the other 
hand the buyer can the easier put the salesman off. When 
he says : “You know well that if there was a thing in your 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


131 


line that we wanted you would get the order, but there is 
none,” the salesman has to take it gracefully and hope for 
better luck next time. But a stranger, in the same line, 
calling there the next day, and mentioning each item in his list, 
may secure an order, and at no better price than the buyer’s 
acquaintance would have given. 

For these reasons I have not given details of my trip so 
far as they concerned my own sales. It is enough to say 
that I was doing fairly well, not only in selling goods, but 
in making “valuable acquaintances.” My house wrote me 
very pleasant letters, praising the character as well as the 
amount of my orders, and I looked to my going in with 
such anticipations of pleasure that the last six days of the 
trip seemed to have more hours than any arithmetic table of 
time ever put into them. Partly to kill time, and partly to 
make myself more “ solid ” with buyers, I spent nearly every 
evening with some of my customers, and listened to many 
bits of experiences that were worth more than money to me. 

One merchant said to me in his talk : “ I have bought a 

great many goods of Wiebusch, and feel as much at home 
in his store as I do in any place outside of my own. And, 
while I do it because of dollars and cents, still there is. 
something back of these that always turns the scales in his. 
favor when his prices are no lo\yer than his competitors. 
Twenty years ago I was clerk for a hardware house in the 
West, and about as ordinary a one as could be. One summer 
I made a trip East to visit some friends, and concluded to 
' give m^^self a treat by taking a day or two in New York. I 
i knew no one in the city personally ; I knew the names of the 
I houses my employers bought from, and for some reason 
that of F. Weibusch seemed most familiar. I put up at the 
Hoffman House. I laugh every time I think of it.” 

“ Did you feel overpowered ? ” 

“ That’s exactly the word. I was awfully overpowered. 
I had been used to dropping into the little country hotels. 


132 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


where the landlord and clerk were at your service, and 
where you had to black your own boots, and carry your bag- 
gage around. When I dropped into the Hoffman with my 
grip in hand, and wrote my name in the register, and saw the 
overwhelming indifference in the eyes of the lordly clerk, I 
assure jmu I felt as small a potato as ever grew in a hill. I 
never felt quite so small and mean in all my life.” 

“ How did you get around ?” 

“ I got to the hotel about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. I sat 1 

down in the office and tried to get my spirits up to the pitch j 
of my surroundings, but it was a dismal failure. I felt that I 
I was ‘ country ’ from crown to heel, and I was terribly un- ^ 
comfortable. I happened to think of some familiar names, i 
and among others of Mr. Wiebusch. The directory gave me j 
his address, a porter posted me on street-cars and the way to ^ 
Beekman street, and in due time I presented myself at the 
door. I felt timid about going in. I was only a clerk ; I 
had no business on hand ; I would simply be taking up some 
of their time in the store, and with no profit to them. But 
I went up stairs, and after telling a clerk who I was and 
whom T was connected with, was by him introduced to Mr. 
Wiebusch.” 

‘‘ And your reception was a pleasant one ? ” 

“ You may judge so when I assure you that I remember 
it vividly and kindly to this day, and shall always do so. He 
could not have been more cordial to the head of the largest 
house he dealt with. ‘Cordial,’ mind you; not simply 
polite or pleasant. I was made to feel that I had paid him 
a compliment by calling upon him ; that everything about 
the place was at my disposal ; and that I could do him a 
still greater favor by permitting him to do something more 
for me. How that was real kindness of heart ; it was 
genuine courtesy, and I went back to my hotel not caring a 
continental d — m whether the clerk saw me or not.” 

“ Did you make other calls ? ” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


133 


“ Yes ; the next day I called on a dozen houses, more or 
less, and was pleasantly met everywhere; I remember that; 
but I don’t recall the name of a single one of them! You 
can see by this, from the distinctness with which I recall 
everything connected with my visit to Mr. Wiebusch, what 
a relief to me his kindness was.” 

“ Do you still go to the Hoffman ? ” 

“Hot a bit of it. When next I went to Hew York 1 was 
partner in the house and the Cosmopolitan or French’s were 
plenty good enough for me then.” 

“ Are there many men on the road now that were travel- 
ing then ? ” 

“ Hot a great many. Sam Disston was here to-day ; he’s 
one of the old stand-bys, and he doesn’t look a day older 
now. These red whiskered men have the advantage of such 
fellows as you and I. I’ve grown gray in spots, but here’s 
Sam still as red as when he first came out snapping a Disston 
saw. I’d like to have Sam to myself some Sunday after- 
noon and get him to tell the ups and downs of his goods. 
Henry used to talk saw and shout saw and swear saw, but 
he always sold them. I hung on to Spear & Jackson about 
as long as anyone did in this section, but I had to finally 
give in, and I was an ass for not taking hold of the Disston 
saw sooner.” 

“ It’s a high-priced saw, isn’t it ? ” 

“ The Disston factory makes all kinds of saws. Look at 
this saw — pretty neat, isn’t it ? Full size, 26-inch blade ; good 
handle ; what do you suppose it is worth ? ” 

“ I know nothing of saws; I couldn’t guess.” 

“ Yes, you can guess. You know whether it looks worth 
5 cents or $5.” 

“Well, say $1.50.” 

“ That’s close. You are a good guesser on saws. I buy 
that of Disston for $3 per dozen.” 

“ What ! A Disston saw ? ” 


134 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


‘‘ 1 didn’t say a Disston saw. It is made by Disston, but 
their name is not on it, nor is it any such quality as they 
would brand with their name. But they have a tremendous 
trade in ^oods on which their name never appears. I guess 
they are the largest saw manufacturers in the world.” 

“ Disston must have an easy job.” 

Don’t you fool yourself. Sam has just as hard a job as 
you have. In the first place much is expected from him ; 
then his goods being standard, are sold close by all jobbers, 
und they are inclined to push other makes, which can be 
bought cheaper. And on cheap goods it is entirely a matter 
of price, so he has to meet all the competition of every saw- 
maker in the country. I don’t believe he has any easier job 
than you, or any other traveling man has.” 

After selling a couple of cases of cartridges to a whole- 
sale grocer one evening, he was led to tell of his early days, 
and I learned that no one trade contained all the shrewd 
men. Said he, “ I once felt that our house was a very im- 
portant one, and about as large as the State of Michigan. 
But one July I went down to New York, and sauntered into 
Thurber’s, on West Broadway. I didn’t expect to buy any- 
thing, but I thought Thurber would feel complimented by 
such a man as myself calling upon him. Their lower room 
looked rather busy, but not any more so than I expected, 
but when I got up stairs and found myself facing from fifty 
to seventy-five clerks I began to think Thurber’s was a big- 
ger business than mine. A boy led me to H. K. Thurber’s 
private office, but there were several men ahead of me and 
I waited my turn. The longer I waited the smaller I kept 
growing. Mr. Thurber’s face was one that you could study. 
One moment it lit up with a smile or happy thought, the 
next his mouth closed with a snap as if it was the combina- 
tion lock of a safe-door, j^t his table was a chair for ‘the 
next,’ and I felt as if ‘ next ’ was going to be called out when- 
’ever I saw a man getting ready to arise. It was a pleasure 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


135 


to watch Thurber. The new-comer took his place in the 
vacated chair, told who he was, what was his business, and 
Thurber had a ‘ yes ’ or a ‘ no ’ ready before the man was 
through. ‘We don’t want it’ came out sharp and decisive. 
‘But if I could — .’ ‘We don’t want it ;’ and this time the 
mouth closed tighter, and the man saw there was no ‘ buts,’ 
and bowed himself out. Then to the next, and if his luck 
was better the bell was touched, and the boy who answered 
told : ‘ Show this gentleman to Mr. Why land.’ Here a 

letter was placed before him by a clerk, and after a glance 
at it an answer was dictated to the stenographer, who sat 
in a corner near by. Long before it was my turn to bother 
him I felt so cheap that I would have sneaked oif, but I was 
afraid some of the boys would take me by the collar and 
drag me back. Mr. Thurber met me pleasantl}^, and said a 
few words about our business that told me he knew some- 
thing about us, and professed to be very much pleased at my 
call. Then he sent for Mr. Whyland and insisted upon my 
allowing him to show me about the store. Whyland 
had but lately returned from his European trip, and was 
just aching all over to sell goods. You know how that is, 
don’t you ? Take any good salesman who has been out of 
the harness for awhile and when he gets back again to 
work there’s more enjoyment in selhng a bill of goods than 
in drinking a bottle of champagne. I swore to myself that 
I wouldn’t buy a cent’s worth, but before I got away from 
Whyland I was down for $13,000 worth of goods.” 

“ Whew ! It was a dear visit.” 

“Hot at all. I needed the goods and bought them low, 
so that it was all right. But Whyland turned me over to 
Frank Thurber. Frank is the politician of the concern ; 
the greenback, anti-monopoly, mugwump man ! He beamed 
on me as if he was Yenus rising out of the sea; patted me 
on the back ; said I would own all of Michigan in a few 
years, and he was coming out to get some points from us 


136 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


wide-awake Westerners; then filled my pockets with his 
anti-monopoly speeches and papers, led me to the top of 
the stairs, gave me his benediction, and I left. It was an 
experience. No opera that I ever listened to, no ball that I ever 
attended, contained so much genuine pleasure for me as I 
got out of that visit. But I went away satisfied that our 
house had still room to grow before it would be the biggest 
in the trade. It does a man good to see what a small con- 
cern he is occasionally.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


137 


CHAPTEK XXIIL 

T can tell you one thing/’ said a hardware man to me, 

“ there is a good deal of forcing down of prices done by 
traveling men that is entirely uncalled for. Here comes a 
man to me selling auger-bits. I am full, and I tell him so. 
He enlarges on the superior quality of his goods. I admit 
them to be good, but my stock is too full for me to think of 
adding to it. He thinks it possible there will be an advance, 
as at 70 and 5 per cent, off the list there is a positive loss to 
the maker. I have no fears of an immediate advance, and 
say so. Then he says : ‘ Mr. X., I am very anxious to get a • 
small order from you ; trade is not very brisk with me, and, 
as an inducement, I will give you an extra 5 per cent.’ 
Knowing this to be lower than others are quoting, and feel- 
ing well satisfied that the goods are liable to advance rather 
than decline, when they change, I make out an order for 
him. But how is he going to justify that cut to his factory? 
It was absolutely uncalled for. It was not done to meet 
competition, but to beat competition, and was simply a bait 
to lead me to order when otherwise I would not have or- 
dered.” 

“ But,” said another man, “ go back of that a little. At 
70 per cent, discount the maker is barely getting back 100 
cents for what actually costs him one dollar. He is trim- 
ming as close as he can in everything to keep him from loss ; 
wages are cut down, economy in material practiced, and 
every detail scrimped to the last possible hmit. Then this 
order comes in from the salesman at a still lower figure. Xo 
further scrimping can be done in material — that has a limit 

10 


138 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


that cannot be passed — where, then, can any saving be made ? 
Only in the wages. The workmen are shown the prices 
that the goods are now sold at, and told that there is but 
one thing for the factory to do : to meet this ‘ competition,’ 
or close up. And, of course, the meaning of this is another 
reduction in the already well-reduced wages. I declare, a 
man must have a good deal of gall to be drawing a salary 
of from $1,800 to $3,500 per year and ask a workman to 
take 10 per cent, off his wages of $1 per day.” 

“ Yes, and you will notice,” said the first speaker, “ that 
all this was done that the traveling man might have an 
order to send in, and not because of any requirements of 
competition or of demand and supply. When I read of 
workingmen striking I think of these things and wonder 
what they would do if they could see what we merchants 
see of unnecessary cutting in prices. Manufacturers and 
jobbers send men out to present the merits of their goods, 
but their sole idea of a ‘ smart ’ man is one whose sales are 
large. If they have a dozen men on the i*oad, the man who 
sells the most goods is the champion man. He sells big bills 
and is expected to cut prices. But one of the men who 
makes less show may be much the mo^t profitable for them.” 

“ You would keep account of profits rather than of sales ? ” 

‘‘ Certainly I would, and pay salaries on that basis. Then 
the salesman would have strong inducements to get good 
prices. As it is now ail he need ask himself is : ‘Will the 
old man stand the cut ? ’ and if he does it is as much s^a 
feather in his cap to make the sale as if it was at better 
prices. Take the matter of steel squares. One of iny men 
writes in that a Cleveland jobber is selling them to the 
smallest trade at 75 and 10 per cent. off. I investigate and 
find that they can be bought at 80 off. But the several 
manufacturers shake their heads and say this price is a pos- 
itive loss, etc., etc. Then what the d — 1 do they sell at that 
price for ? Neither dealers nor consumers were complaining 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


139 


of the old prices, and all the extra stock that is sold by the 
cut goes on to the dealers’ shelves. The decline is made to 
a few jobbers, and they at once start out their men to give 
it to the retailers, and to use it as a bait, and when other 
jobbers learn it they combine to squeeze the price down so 
that all can get it. This is a sample of generalship that the 
square makers ought to be ashamed of.” 

“ Yes, but the carriage-bolt men of the country have been 
playing just that same kind of a fool game for several years. 
Who is benefited ? ]J^o one, unless it is the big wagon con- 
cerns, or the big machine men. I am told that men in bolt 
factories at present prices do not make $1 a day. Why 
should they work for starvation wages so that the concerns 
using bolts can save 40 per cent, on their purchase ? It’s a 
cursed outrage ! The older manufacturers can stand it, be- 
cause they just coined money a few years ago, but now they 
must squeeze their poor devils of workmen down in order 
that they can sell goods at nothing. If the Knights of 
Labor were devoting themselves to righting wrongs of this 
kind, the whole country would back them up.” 

“ I often feel sorry for some of the concerns,” said the 
other, “when I have met the ‘managers.’ I came back 
from Kew York three years ago and told my partner if 
Lawson & Goodrow could make money as their New York 
ofiBce was run, that no one else need worry about his busi- 
ness. Here was an old concern, with every facility for 
making goods cheap, with a reputation for quality second to 
none in the country, with experienced workmen, and a good 
hold on the trade, yet they failed a year or two ago, and 
made so bad a failure I supposed they were swamped for- 
ever.” 

“ But they are going on.” 

“ Yes ; I’m glad to see it, and understand that new brains 
have taken hold of it. But think of putting in as manager 
of such a business a young man just out of college ! He 


140 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


was a very pleasant gentleman ; I remember him with a 
warm sense of his courtesy, but he did not know the A, B, 
C of business. Fancy such a man competing with Oakman 
or Charley Landers ! ” 

“ You’ve got to get up early to get ahead of Landers.” 

“Yes, Landers is a man of resources and thoroughly un- 
stands human nature. I rode down on the New Haven boat 
with him one night, and I spent two vevy pleasant hours 
on deck talking with him. He makes a good impression on 
you, both as to his shrewdness and his breadth. You get 
the idea that he is not small in his methods, and that he has 
an active mind. I imagine that when he took hold of the 
management of his concern, after Jim Frary had stepped 
down and out, he had about as unpromising a job on his 
hands as a man could have. Frary was a terrible cuss to pile 
up goods, Fm told, and the stock was in horrible shape. 
But Landers rode through the storm, and his business has 
seen some mighty prosperous years.” 

“ Did you know Rubel ? ” 

“ Of Chicago ^ Yes, indeed. Poor fellow, I received a 
card a day or two ago announcing his death. He ought to 
have been good for twenty years yet. I bought some of his 
patent goods sixteen or eighteen years ago, and sold more 
or less of his brand ever since. His plant in Chicago shows 
what was in him. I hated, like thunder, to sell his goods 
when they were branded ‘ Chicago,’ but when he changed 
that to ‘American’ I bought as freely of him as from others. 
He was jovial, sociable, and wide awake. I wish he might 
have lived to enjoy his well-earned success.” 

“What has become of Jim Frary ?” 

“ I have lost sight of him. If an}^ man ever had a good 
chance to make a strike I think Frary is the man. With 
Weibusch back of him, furnishing money and brains, with a 
combination in prices on a profitable basis, and with the 
boom in business, that concern ought to have made piles of 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


141 


money. But it is not generally supposed that they did. 
Frary has become temporarily eclipsed, and General Trunk 
manages it as if it was an orchestra. I don’t know if he 
gets much music out, but he probably enjoys bossing things ; 
that’s worth a great deal to him.”* 

“ Don’t you like Trunk ? ” 

Like him? Of course I do. You would if you were to 
meet him. He’s one of the most unassuming and gentle- 
mannered men you ever met. If he only had a little confi- 
dence in himself he would be the Hapoleon of the table 
cutlery trade, but he is inclined to listen to everybody’s ad- 
vice and not assert himself.” 

I had a deal with Frary once that amused me. I had 
been handling a small, one-bladed knife that we paid about 
40 cents per dozen for. We made quite a leader of it, but 
were told, in answer to our last order sent, that the stock 
was out. We tried to get it two or three times afterward, 
but without success. The next time I saw one of the men I 
asked him why the dickens we couldn’t get that knife again. 
‘We have given it up,* I was told ; our cost book showed 
the cost to be 36 cents per dozen, so we supposed we were 
getting our money back, but somebody had the curiosity to 
foot up the items not long ago, and found an error in adding 
of 20 cents; the knife had really cost 56 cents! Fancy a 
concern doing business in that way ! 

“ There are any numbers of just such concerns. Every 
little while you see changes made in prices to correct errors. 
There’s a deal of guessing done around factories, and also a 
good deal of figuring on what a competitor does. One man 
learns of a competitor making a certain price, and says, ‘ If 
he can sell at that, I can,’ and that becomes his price, with- 

* As is known to the trade, 'vyithin a very few weeks after the above 
article was written the Frary Cutlery Co. failed, and have since been 
sold out under the hammer. And prices of table cutlery are once more 
^‘booming.” 


142 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


out his even knowing that he is making money or losing at 
these figures.” 

“ I think a good many dealers sell goods by guess, as well 
as the manufacturers. This is especially true of retailers. 
A level-headed man, named Eoot, has got up a series of cost 
cards that will be of help to the hardware trade, but other 
lines need them just as much.” 

‘‘ But all the cards in the world will not keep the blank 
fools from selling goods at cost. Here is an item in an 
Eastern paper about two Connecticut concerns who sold 
‘ crazy cloth ’ (whatever that is) under each other’s price, 
till at last one fool offered it at 1 cent a yard, and then the 
other came down to ten yards for 5 cents. That was in 
Sargent’s town ; probably they had been listening to his free 
trade slush.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


143 


CHAPTEE XXIV. 

I fell in with a jolly crowd of commercial men, some sales- 
men and some heads of houses, at the Tremont, and I have 
rarely enjoyed an evening more. Of course there were any 
number of stories told, many jokes cracked, and a deal of 
chaffing of each other. But if I could have written down 
all the points made about business they would have been 
eagerly read by my present audience. One man was curs- 
ing the book-keeper, as is usual, when a merchant said : 

“ There are always two sides to every question, and there 
is a good deal to be said from the book-keeper’s stand-point. 
Other things being equal, a man who has had office expe- 
rience makes the best man on the road. Very much of the 
trouble caused by the book-keeper’s letters might be avoided 
if the traveling man knew enough, or had a little fore- 
thought. You say things to your customers ten times worse 
than the book-keeper ever writes, but a letter looks much 
more severe than the words you said sounded to the ear. 
One salesman when collecting will take pains to get certain 
bills balanced. If the customer offers to pay $50 on account 
and there is a bill of $53.36 due, or two bills of that sum, he 
suggests that it would be a good thing to make the payment 
that amount and wipe these out. Such a man helps the 
office at home. Another man takes the $50, and does not 
care a cent if anything is balanced or not. It may be nec- 
essary to have a scapegoat in every concern, but the traveler 
who runs down his office for doing its duty is not smart, and 
is sowing seed that will grow up to bother him in the near 
future.” 


144 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


‘‘ Yes/’ said another merchant, “ and there’s a sight more 
book-keeping than there is any need of. Every little item 
has to be charged, bill sent, statement sent, and then re- 
ceipted for when paid. If a jobber wants an ax of a special 
size, just one, and has to order it from the factory, although 
he knows the exact cost, it never enters his head to send in 
cash with the order. He must have as much red-tape over 
it as if the order was a thousand dozen axes. So the retailer ; 
if a customer wants a gross of screws sent on at once by ex- 
press, the charge of 22 cents has to go through all the de- 
partments. There’s too much of it. It’s expensive in time, 
and foolish.” 

‘‘Don’t talk of paying in advance,” said a salesman, 
“ we’re mighty glad to get the money after it’s due.” 

“Yes, I know; there’s too much work there, too. Al- 
though the buyer knows the exact time that his bill is due, 
he is getting so of late that he will pay nothing until a state- 
ment is sent, and not then till it pleases him. Your small 
man, not in the amount of business, but small-minded, dearly 
loves to hold back until you have sent him notice of draft 
made on him ; he at once sends on a remittance then and his 
little soul takes comfort in telling, when the draft on him is 
presented, ‘ I do not owe them anything ; their bill is paid.’ 
Or else he waits till the draft is presented and dishonors it 
because it is drawn ‘ with exchange.’ But there ought to be 
a keener sense of the honor to be won in paying bills 
promptly. If Dun and Bradstreet were to put in a third 
rating to show whether dealers paid promptly or not, and 
whether mean in little things or not, it would be of vast 
help.” 

“ How would you have it ? ” 

“Why, as it now is, we are told that John Smith is worth 
$2,000 to $5,000, and his credit good. I would add another 
column, and show prompt pay, slow pay, unpleasant in col- 
lecting, etc. You now trust a man on the basis of his capi- 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


145 


tal and credit, but if you knew he was a smart Aleck you 
would not care to sell him no matter how much he was 
worth.” 

“Well, boys,” said a New York man, “I don’t have any- 
thing to do with the collecting, and I’m mighty glad of it. 
It’s bad enough to sell goods without having to squeeze the 
pay out too. But I had a case the other day that surprised 
me a little. Last October I sold a bill to a concern in Can- 
ton, Ohio, on 60 days. When I started out this spring the 
book-keeper told me the bill was still unpaid. He said he 
sent statement in January, then drew through the Canton 
bank in February, but draft was returned unpaid. I told 
him the concern was good, and I didn’t understand it. I was 
in Canton in April and intended to speak to the concern 
about our bill ; but when I went into the store one of them 
met me very cordially, said our goods had gone well and he 
wanted some more. I took it for granted they had paid up, 
or they would not be so ready with another order, so sold 
them a bill and said nothing about the old one. But here 
is a letter from my house asking if anything was done about 
the October bill, and telling me it has not yet been remitted 
to them. Blest if I understand it ! The longer I travel the 
more I get puzzled.” 

“Well, quit cutlery and go selling coffee.” 

“ Coffee ? ” 

“ Yes, coffee. There are three things that must be selling 
well in these days: soap, tobacco, and coffee. Just look at 
the advertising pages of the papers and magazines. You see 
nothing but these three things and patent medicines. But 
then you expect patent medicines, so they don’t count. Soap ! 
Great Csesar ! It’s in everything. ‘ Queen Soap,’ ‘ Sulphur 
Soap,’ ‘ Ivory Soap,’ ‘ Pears’ Soap,’ and all the other soaps. 
The advertising is by all odds the largest expense, and the 
poor devil of a retailer is expected to sell at about 5 per cent, 
margin. Then see the whole country painted red on tobacco. 


146 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


And now we’re catching it on coffee. If Arbuckle isn’t a 
nephew of Barnum’s he ought to be, for he knows how to 
advertise. I long ago gave up eating bread make from 
baking powder, because each manufacturer proved the other 
fellow’s goods were poisonous, and I don’t know but I must 
give up coffee since the advertisements expose how easy it is ! 
to doctor it. But at present I’m sort of holding on to Ar- 
buckle’s, and when, my confidence in that goes then I’m | 

done for.” J 

“ You are right,” said a grocer. Arbuckle has made an ] 
immense business in coffee, and made it by his brains. It’s j 

encouraging to see a concern get out of the rut and show ■ 

folks that the end of everything hasn’t been reached yet.” 

“ Seems to me,” said a manufacturer, “ that you grocers 
have done more to demoralize business, by your gift enter- 
prises, than any other class has done. Is the thing holding J 
its own ? ” ] 

No, there is a decided feeling growing against it. The 
large wholesale grocers of New York, Austin, Nichols & Co., 
say, in a recently published letter ; 

‘‘ ‘ We do not believe in “ gift schemes” of any sort, and 
are not in the give away ” business. When the time arrives 
(if it ever does) when we are unable to sell good goods on 
their respective merits we will quietly retire from business.’ ” 

“And a Ypsilanti, Mich., grocer writes: ‘One fellow 
carries a shotgun around with him, another a saw, but they 
principally run to clocks. Of course you don’t have to pay 
anything for these fine articles, provided you buy the goods 
which call for them (in your mind). The retailers, too, 
now are striving their very best to see which can give the 
most with a pound of baking powder. That is, a great 
many retailers are. They do not seem to care anything about 
the quality, if they can only give the largest prize. Quality is 
not considered at all. They buy the thing for the great 
prize offered. When the retail merchants of this country 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


147 


shut down on this despicable way of doing business and sell 
goods on their merits, without a prize package attached, 
just so soon will a blow have been struck at the root of the 
whole matter.’ These pretty fairly represent the growing 
sentiment among large and small traders of brains. They 
see that the moment an article ceases to be sold on its merit, 
just that moment a dealer is losing his hold on trade. I met 
a man from Ohio on the cars a day or two ago. He had 
been sent out to Iowa by his house to sell coffee and spices 
on the prize-package basis. He said he was almost turned 
out of doors by the Iowa merchants as soon as he had told 
his story. The dealers there said they wanted no goods 
that had to be worked off in that way, and had no confi- 
dence in goods that could not sell themselves. Now that was 
a healthy sign.” 

“ When I see it,” said another grocer, “ I at nnce assume 
that the concern is sending out cheap goods, or that it has 
been losing trade and catches at this straw to save itself. 
When an old and reliable house like Lorillard goes into the 
give-a-prize-away-with-every package business, it only goes to 
show to what an extent this matter is carried on. The 
Lorillards are now introducing a tobacco called ‘Splendid.’ 
They say it is a ‘ splendid’ thing, makes one feel ‘ splendid,’ 
etc. If it is, why not sell it on its merits; advertise it in a 
legitimate way ; make the price an inducement, and if it is a 
splendid article the public will soon find it out. Lately they 
have been offering a pack of cards with every 10-cent piece, 
besides giving a first-class cutter to the retailer with a sin- 
gle box, and a combination truck and ladder with five 
boxes.” 

“ It is really one sign of the hard times. When business 
recovers itself, and that time is not so far distant, consumers 
will not be attracted by the cheap gifts. Every day they 
are being educated to understand that they pay for all their 
‘ gifts,’ and pay well, too.” 


148 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


“ In times like these you can’t blame men for jumping at 
everything. Every buyer wants ‘ a leetle adwantage,’ and, 
like a Chicago man that the boys tell of, tells you your price 
is ‘stereotyped’ unless you cut down below every one else. 
So dealers try low prices and try gifts, but by and b}^ they 
will have to sell on a rising market, and things will change.” 

“ You think prices will go up ? ” 

“ They must go up, and it is right that they should. There 
is no reason why the girl at work at a loom should starve 
just that your wife should save a cent or two a yard on her 
gingham dress. Wages must go up, and goods advance too.” 

“But if wages advance and the cost of living advances 
too, where is the girl to be benefited ? ” 

“ Don’t fool yourself on that stuff ; that is the stale argu- 
ment of some of the smart young men who write for 
posterity. Rent is probably as high to-day as it was when 
wages were twice as high. The prices of flour, pork, and 
beef are regulated by the crop, not by the buyers’ wages. 
If I were hammering at an anvil I would take my increased 
wages and pay increased prices if I had to, and feel pretty 
sure I was going to be benefited. There are some theories, 
like this one and free-trade, that sound very plausible, but 
do not stand any chance when actual tests are made in 
every day life. The cry of all merchants to-day should be, 
‘ Pay decent -wages to your help and add it to your goods.’ 
And any factory that held out ought to be boycotted. I 
know it’s a mean word, but it is a good one for use with 
mean men.” 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


149 


CHAPTER XXy. 

The last day on the road must always seem a long day. 
One figures out just what train he will take, the hour he will 
arrive at the end of the journey, and the minute he will be 
with his family or in the store. I had reached my last day 
and was putting in my ‘‘ best licks ” so as to have a good 
batch of orders to carry in with me, to make my welcome 
all the greater. But as luck would have it no day of my 
trip had been so uncertain and tantalizing. 

I spread out my revolvers before four concerns and en- 
larged upon their remarkable qualities and low prices. 
“ Bull dogs ” had stiffened in price at the factories to $2.25, 
less 10 per cent., and our stock was large and bought at low 
prices. I used this as a bait wherever I could, but every 
other man had been throwing out offers of the same kind, 
and mine were not so greedily taken as I would like to have 
had them. 

“ Xo use of your offering baits,’’ said one party, “ there’s 
no life in the gun business any more. Here’s Lafoucheaux 
guns at $7, Flobert rifles at $2, Smith & Wesson revolvers 
at $8, and the deuce knows where it will stop. Things 
must be mighty dubious when S. & W. have to cut their 
prices. Here’s Reachum’s last billet doux on rifles, quoting 
them at about 5 per cent, above cost, and yet you expect 
me to give you an order. Xo, it’s no use ; I must wait till 
somebody wants to buy something that I have.” 

“Do you say that about all your lines?” 

“ Well, it’s mighty near it in everything. Here’s an order 
from my man on the Central for a quarter dozen steel squares 


150 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


at 75 and 10 off ; cost me that a month ago. Here’s strap 
hinges at 65 and 5 off ; I paid that for them. There’s a 
milk-strainer, sold at $1.25 per dozen, cost me $1.20 ; carpet 
tacks sold at $1.50 gross, cost me $1.44. All these things in 
one bill. I tell you I am getting rich fast.” 

‘‘ I am going in to-night,” I said, “ and would be glad to 
carry in a little order for you. I’ll get it out myself and see 
that nice goods are sent you.” 

“Ho, 1 don’t want anything.” 

I heard almost a similar complaint from the next one I 
saw, but I managed to secure two orders for my day’s work, 
and then I was done. I never paid a hotel bill so gladly 
or bought a railroad ticket with happier feelings. There 
was a pleasure in getting my baggage checked home, and 
no car ever seemed to me quite so comfortable and inviting 
as the one I rode home in. 

When I walked into the store it was difficult to believe 
that I had been out of it more than twenty -four hours. The 
bill of goods on the floor looked exactly like the one I saw 
there the day I started away. The porter and drayman 
seemed to be talking about the same accident or “wake” 
that they were engaged in when I last saw them together, 
and the white head of the “ old man ” was bent over his 
books as if it had never moved. I couldn’t help saying to 
myself, “ How glad they ought to be that they have only to 
do the work that comes to them, instead of feeling the 
responsibility of creating new business.” 

They met me as if I had been off on a lark, and ought to 
feel grateful to them for doing my work while I was away. 
I wondered if I was ever ass enough to meet our old travelers 
in any such way. I guess I was. 

“ Well, old boy, had a good time? ” 

This from stock clerk, from salesman, from the packer, and 
from the book-keeper. 

Good time ! Great Caesar ! 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


151 


Good time ! With a constant dread about you that you 
are going to fail! Pushing yourself boldly into men’s 
offices a dozen times a day, yet always nervously dreading 
the reception they may give you. Catching late trains and 
early trains ; missing meals or sitting down to tables where 
things are so uninviting you cannot eat. And all the time, 
day and night, wondering if your employers are satisfied 
with your sales and if they recognize the necessity of your 
cutting prices. A good time I If there is any business in 
the world that is so little of a “ good time ” I would like to 
know what it is. The firm met me very pleasantly. They 
joked me a little about my new beard and the extra fat they 
declared they saw on me, and then the welcomings were 
over. 

I took my place at my old desk with a firm resolution to 
let other men do the traveling ; I would stick to the store. 

Come home to supper with me,” said the head of the 
house ; “ I’d like to talk over your trip with you, and we can 
do it better at home this evening.” 

This was an honor I had not had before. The other boys 
looked at me with envy. 

“ How have things gone ? Has business been good ? ” I 
asked ray old assistant in the stock. 

“Things have gone so-so ; trade has been only middling. 
But you did first rate, old fellow. I heard the old man say 
you were a success.” 

“ Did he say that ? ” 

“ Yes, and lots more. You made a strike.” 

This was pleasant news. 

After our tea that evening the head of the house began to 
question me about my trip, and I saw that a detailed story of 
it was what he wanted. So I began with the fitst town that 
I had stopped at, and gave him a history of the trip. He 
seemed to enjoy it, and to pick up a good many items from it. 

“ Yes,” he said, “ business is becoming less profitable every 


152 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


year. The idiots who are going to get rich by selling flour 
at 25 cents a barrel less than cost, simply by doing a h — 1 of 
a business, are multiplying. Keachum can probably sell 
goods close and make money, as he has no traveling men ; 
his principal expense is his postal cards. Simmons & Hib- 
bard can sell our goods low because it is only one department 
of a large business with them, and its proportion of expenses 
is not great. We will be compelled to do either less or 
more ; either do a smaller business in guns and ammunition 
and at less expense, or to put in other goods and drum a 
larger variety of trade. We have pretty much decided to 
do the latter. What do you think of it?’’ 

I laughingly suggested that in Cleveland and Indianapolis 
some of the houses were adding a silver mine to their stock, 
and that we ought to have one too. 

“ And then compel the traveling-men to buy or not give' 
them orders ? That would be a good scheme. But I had 
not thought of that. Our plan is to lay in a line of goods 
that will work in well with general trade and sell all the 
year round.” 

I said I thought it was a capital idea. 

“ Will you give up the stock and go on the road regularly ?” 

What? Go on the road regularly? Hot a bit of it. 
Keep on, month after month, year after year, hammering 
after orders? Ho, oh, no! 

“ Then you don’t like it ? ” 

Ho, I did not. There was altogether too much anxiety 
about it for me. There were men so constituted that they 
did not feel worried whether they got an order or not. 
They were the proper men to travel. But I was nervous 
and anxious, and worried when I had no order for fear I was 
not going to get one ; and then worried after I had one, 
fearing I would not get anymore. Ho, I was not made of 
the right kind of stuff for a traveling man. 

If I did not see that you are so thoroughly in earnest I 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


153 


would say you are sarcastic. You evidently believe what 
you say, but you do not seem to understand that the very 
reason why you will make a successful salesman is this 
nervous dread of failure. When you meet a man who 
doesn’t care a copper cent whether trade is good or not you 
have met a second-rate man. Trade can only be secured by 
persistent and hard work. A man of your disposition 
will be pulling wires and ingratiating himself into the 
good will of his customers, while your contented man is 
playing billiards or making the acquaintance of a sport of 
the town. Taking into consideration the times and the 
condition of business, your trip has been a remarkably 
successful one, but the second one will be a better one 
for the house, and a pleasanter one for you. You will then 
call on acquaintances, not on strangers, and you will find 
your task easier and your trade better. Think it over. 
You will be more valuable to us on the road and it will pay 
you better.” 

But I swore I would not consider it. Afterwards I fancied 
I might £hink of it. Then I did consider it, and yes, here I 
am. I represent the firm of Blank & Blank, Guns and Ammu- 
nition. If you are in need of anything in my line 1 would 
be glad to figure with you, for I am 

A Man of Samples. 


11 


154 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


HIS LAST TKIP. 

OKGAH had been on the road for 
one house about 20 years. This H 
is a long period of travel. In 5 
less time than that most men J 
work up or work down. Ho man 
can continue on a dead level as a i 
salesman during that time, even if ; 
his habits are good. If he has ; 
ability he is sure, with rare ex- 
ception, to work himself off the 
road. If he is mediocre no one 
house can afford to carry him for 
twenty years. Morgan was the rare exception just men- 
tioned. He was an excellent salesman, and his ability and 
success but served to weld him the closer to his work. The 
house had made him a partner long since, but the business 
he controlled was so large and so profitable, that they all 
knew, and he best, that to withdraw him and experiment 
with a new man would be but playing with fire over a 
magazine of powder. So he went on his way year after 
year, making no plans for the future that would change his 
work or his life. 

But his family, consisting of his wife and their one daughter, * 
Mary, a romping girl of twelve, was not of his disposition. 
These two could not see husband and father start off with- 
out a protest. The wife had always on her heart a burden 
of anxiety about him ; of dangers on railroads, of his possi- 
ble robbery and murder; of the discomforts of hotels, and 



A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


155 


the fear of his falling sick among strangers. She was 
naturally a timid woman, and the responsibility of the house 
weighed upon her. The whole burden of Mary’s growth in 
body and mind, her training, her companions, and her pleas- 
ures were matters the mother would gladly have shared with 
the father, but she was generally compelled to decide them 
alone. 

The father’s continued absence was a constant pain and 
grievance to Mary. There was never a week but that she 
felt deprived of some special outing because he was not at 
home to go with her. Saturday night and Sunday, if he 
was where he could run home, were so many solid hours of 
happiness to them all, but to Mary they were full of perfect 
bliss. 

Morgan was known to all his friends as a man who never 
worried. If a train was late he sat down and waited ; if a 
customer failed he always signed a compromise ; if he didn’t 
get the best room in the hotel, he took what he could get ; 
and he lost no sleep in picturing how his competitors might 
get ahead of him. He always left home with the assurance 
that everything would go on all right until he returned, and 
when he went away he thought of the two he loved as being 
happy and well. 

But as he started on this trip, he could not shake off a 
slight feeling of anxiety that had possessed him all the night, 
and had grown since he awoke. Their talk the previous day 
had been about the entrance of diphtheria into the neighbor- 
hood, and of the fatal case but two blocks away from their 
door. Mary had complained of a slightly sore throat, but on 
Monday morning declared it was entirely well again, kissing 
him good-by with more spirit than usual, as if trying to con- 
vince him of the truth of her words, and send him away as- 
sured and happy. 

When he was seated in the cars the shadows came over his 
spirits again and began to torture him with doubts and pos- 


156 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


sibilities. It might be, he thought, that her sprightliness of 
the morning was due to fever, rather than to health. He 
wished he had looked into her throat, and he regretted that 
he had not cautioned his wife about her. He nursed these 
fears until he felt himself becoming wild with apprehension, 
and then he resolutely put the thoughts aside, declared he 
was foolish and would have no more of it, and devoted him- 
self to a companion and to his papers. 

Men cannot always govern their minds. These are king- 
doms that frequently rebel against all government. Several 
times during the day Morgan caught himself going back to 
his morning thoughts and he resolutely changed the current. 
But at night, try as he would, he could not conquer them. 
Even his dreams took up the forebodings of the day, exagger- 
ated and intensified them, and tortured him. Hext morning 
found him out of sorts, nervous, and miserable. He had a 
long drive to take in the country, but he shrank from it as 
if he saw danger in his track. All his intuitions seemed to 
be crying to him to go home, but what he thought was his 
common sense kept insisting that he should go on with his 
business, and not cross the bridge of trouble until he came 
to it. 

The day was one of the loveliest October days he had 
ever seen. His drive was through twenty miles of the best 
corn land of Illinois. The black road was as dry as a board, 
and as level as only a prairie can be. The first effect of the 
beautiful day and pure air was invigorating. He enjoyed 
the drive through the street into the country road. Then 
the broad fields, the pleasant farm houses, the herds of horses 
and cattle, the long Osage hedges, the perpetual but always 
surprised rabbit at the road side, all these attracted and en- 
tertained him, and his ride was successful in driving away 
his blues. His customer seemed especially glad to see him ; 
took him to his house to dinner ; talked with him of import- 
ant personal matters, and gave him a large order for goods. 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


167 


He turned back to the railroad feeling as happy as he had 
ever done ; took out his order-book and figured up ' the 
amount of the bill and the profit, as was his custom, and then 
began to sing. 

Suddenly there came across him a wave of anxious worry, 
and all his thoughts fiew back to the daughter’s sore throat, 
and the funeral he saw last Sunday. He could not drive 
these away. They clung to him ; they whispered to him ; 
they unfolded themselves like a panorama, and on the can- 
vas he saw Mary sick, then worse, and then dead ! It was 
the longest twenty-mile ride that he had ever taken, and his 
old friend, the landlord, concluded from his face that Morgan 
had met with bad luck in sales that day. 

He had a night run to Decatur and determined that he 
would telegraph to the house, and quiet these nervous ap- 
prehensions that were so cruel, though probably so absurd. 
It would cost but little, he reasoned, and though foolish, it 
was wiser than to continue to be torn by doubts. So before 
going to bed he gave the operator a half rate message, for 
morning delivery, as follows : 

To Manning, Morgan & Co., Chicago, 111.: 

Is my wife or daughter sick ? Answer, care Gilsey. 

C. Morgan. 

He felt easier having done this, and passed a better night 
than the previous one, although there was in all his sleeping 
and waking thoughts an under current of solicitude over 
impending danger to Mary. 

With an attempt not to be anxious, yet terribly appre- 
hensive at heart, he tore open the telegram that reached 
him about 9 o’clock : 

To C. Morgan, care Gilsey & Co., Decatur : 

Come home first train. Manning. 

Good God, what was this ! Were his forebodings indeed 
true ? If so he was all the more totally unprepared for the 


158 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


truth. His constant comfort had been that his fears had 
not the slightest foundation to rest upon, and the more they 
crowded upon him the surer he had been that they were 
flimsier than dreams. But here staring him in the face were 
those four ominous words : 

Come home first train.’’ 

Why had they not given him the whole story ? He start- 
ed for the telegraph office to send for further particulars, 
but stopped. Suppose Mary was dead ! Did he want to 
learn it here, so far from his wife ? Ho ; he would wait. 
Such a story would unfold soon enough. There were sev- 
eral hours before a train went his way ; the discipline of 
twenty years asserted itself, and he attended to his business. 

The ride home was one that can be understood in its 
depths only by those who have been similarly circumstanced. 
The train seemed to creep. The minutes were like hours. 
The stops seemed to be interminable, and every mile nearer 
home seemed to be proportionately longer than the previous 
one. He reached the city at dark. The store was closed. 
He had expected to find Manning there, but he suddenly re- 
membered that he had not telegraphed to him the time of 
his arrival. As he neared his home the first glance showed 
him there was a change. The lower part of the house was 
in darkness, and only a dim light shone in the front chamber, 
which was but rarely occupied. 

“ They have laid her there,” he said to himself, and all his 
soul cried within him in anguish. His poor wife ! How she 
must have suffered, to have gone through all this alone ! 
What a brute he was to go away Monday, when he ought 
to have known, and did know, that something dreadful was 
upon them ! He reached the door ; it was fastened ; he 
would go to the other side and enter quietly. But some one 
heard his step, and, opening the door, called him back. 

“ Is it Mr. Morgan ? ” The voice was that of a neighbor. 

“ Yes.” He passed in, expecting to see or hear his wife. 
The friend closed the door and turned to him. 


169 


A”MANf^OF SAMPLES. 

“ Have you heard she began. 

“ I have heard nothing ; is Mary — he broke down. The 
door beside him opened. . 

“ Oh, papa ! ” 

Give him air ! What mystery was this ? 

“Mary, is it you? Are you alive? Why, I thought — I 
feared — Oh, darling, is it you ? ” 

Yes, it was Mary. Oh, thank God ! Thank God ! 

“ Tell me again, dear, are you well ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, papa, but poor mamma ! ” 

“ Mamma ! What of her? Is she sick ? What is it ? Tell 
me quick ! ” And again he was pushed from the heaven of 
happiness to the bottomless pit of doubt. “ Is mamma sick ? 
where is she ? ” 

“ Oh, papa, the doctor says she is going to ” 

“ Hush,” said the neighbor. “ Step inside, sir ; the doctor 
is with her now ; he will soon be down. Prepare yourself, 
Mr. Morgan ; your wife is very low. The servant’s careless- 
I ness caused an explosion in the kitchen, setting herself on 
' fire ; your wife ran to her assistance and saved her life, but, 
I I fear, at the expense of her own.” 

I “ I must see her.” 

i “ Ho, sir, not now ; be guided by me for a moment. The 
i doctor will soon be down.” 

He took Mary in his arms and they wept together. Oh, 
if his wife, his darling wife ! were to be taken from him ! 
I It was the cruelest blow God ever struck ! And she saving 
! another’s life, too ! He cursed and raved, but it was in his 
own heart ; and Mary, crying on his breast, only knew what 
comfort it was to have her papa once more with her. 

The physician came down with manner so grave that it 
told its own story. “ There is scarcely a chance,” he said ; 
“ you can go to her ; she will not know you.” 

“ When did this happen ? ” 

“ Monday evening.” 


160 


A MAN OF SAMPLES. 


“ Have you consulted others ? Can nothing more be done 
“ Nothing except to help her to die easy.” 

But she did not die. She knew her husband. He begged 
of her to live, as only a man can plead whose soul is bound 
up in a woman’s life, and whether love, or whether medi- 
cine, or whether care saved her, I do not know. But she 
lived. But Morgan informed Manning that his traveling 
days were over ; that a new man must be engaged for that 
route. They found him, after diligent search, and much to 
the surprise of everyone connected with the house, he sold 
more goods for the firm than Morgan had ever done. The 
one who rejoices most at this is Morgan, who says he has 
made his last trip. 


IVlaher’s 

|‘Oii the J^oad to J^iches” 

Thirteen Thousand Sold. 


By WM. H. MAHER, Toledo, Ohio. 


A brainy book, g-iving- bints to tbe Ambitious 
Clerk, tbe Book-Keeper, tbe Stock man, the “Man 
of Samples,” tbe Buyer, and tbe Head of tbe 
House. 

Commended heartily by tbe best merchants 
of tbe country, and by many bouses bought for 
every clerk in their employ. 


NO EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO PUSH THE SALE, YET 
13,000 COPIES HAVE BEEN SOLD TO DATE. 


256 Pages, Elegantly Bound in Cloth. Price, Post Paid, $1.50. 


THE TOLEDO BOOK COMPANY, 

76 Summit Street, TOLEDO, OHIO. 


RAVELING MEN’S 


Expense Account Book 


VERY COMPEEXE. 

BEST BOOK OF THE KIIVD PUBEISHED. 
FAROE SIZE 15 CEIVTS. 

SMAEE SIZE 10 CENTS. 

SEND STAMPS. 

■a OIYE IT A TRIAE. 


Address all orders to 

E. P. Putolislier, 

115 Summit St., between Madison & Jefferson, TOLEDO, OHiO. 



MAHER & GROSHZTJEN KNIVES 


No. sot 


Whether a man is at the desk, -on the road, or in his own back yard, a good Pen Knife is 
always both a necessity and a pleasure. A poor blade is a nuisance anywhere. The Maher & 
Grosh Knives are the kind you can “swear by.” 

No. P is made with 2, 3, 4, or 6 blades, pearl handle, exact size of cut, elegant finish and 
finest razor steel blades. Price SI, $1.25, $1.50 and $2, post paid, but to “the boys” on the road 
one-tbird off, for one or a dozen. 

No. 801 is an elegant inlaid handle, 3 blades, highest quality and finish. Price post paid, 
$1.25. Same terms to “the boys” as with No. P. 

800 other patterns in stock. 

MAHER & GROSH, 

_ 76 Summit St., TOLEDO, O. 

• 6 8t5 .'i 
















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